


Marinette's Lullaby

by honeyhibiscus



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Identity Reveal, Kinda?, They're 17 throughout the story btw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-30
Updated: 2016-09-09
Packaged: 2018-07-11 01:33:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 46,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7020058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honeyhibiscus/pseuds/honeyhibiscus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"The worst thing Ladybug could do as he lowered his head onto her lap was push him off, which wasn’t something he’d put past her. He was still learning her boundaries, but he was more than happy to learn what he was allowed to do. He would never want to make his lady uncomfortable.</p><p>But, to Chat’s surprise, Ladybug didn’t push him away. Instead, she set a hand on top of his blonde head with a feathery-light touch. Chat breathed out in relief. His eyes closed at the same time Ladybug started up her humming again.</p><p>Humming his song."</p><p>Or, Marinette spends her lunches listening to Adrien practice the piano, and Chat needs to find out why Ladybug's humming coincides with his piano playing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Moonlight Sonata

Marinette was truly, _honestly_ on her way to class when she stopped abruptly in the middle of the empty hall. She was late, again, and had been running to her class to take her usual seat next to Alya and mutter an excuse for why she was late, _again_. But her ears twitched at a new, foreign noise, and she was forced to stop. Sunflowers bloomed from her heart at the sound of, what was it, a piano? They faced toward the noise because the tune was the sun, and Marinette decided in that instant to forget about class and follow her heart.

 

She knew where the sound was most likely coming from: the music room, though she was sure that it should be locked at this time. Music classes were only held toward the end of school, and it was shut down for the first half of each day to protect the expensive musical instruments. One musical instrument in particular, the piano, sat in the front of the room. Marinette could picture it in her head, not a breath coming from the keys as it stood stationary and strong. She had never heard it actually being played until now, and it made her wish that her parents had forced her to take piano as a child so that she could be more familiar with the instrument. She didn’t know what keys the player was playing, or at what tempo, but she knew it was pleasant, and she knew she wanted to meet the player.

 

“Marinette?” Tikki peaked out from Marinette’s bag with a confused and slightly worried look. The look on Marinette’s face held a hypnotized determination, as if her whole being was taken by the sounds.

 

She blinked out of her state and glanced down at Tikki, “I just want to see who’s playing,” she whispered, knowing that at any time a fellow student could be making their way to the bathroom and overhear Marinette talking to her bag. She tried to stay as quiet as she could, though still loud enough for her little bug to hear.

 

Tikki gave Marinette a disapproving look, but pushed herself back down into the purse. Marinette had been late almost every day that week, and surely her parents would take notice, but she wanted to find this mystery player. No, she _needed_ to, though she couldn’t figure out why.

 

As she rounded the corner, her eyes fell on the door, the open door, which led to the music room. Her breath hitched at being so close to the truth. She paused just before the door to shake her head at herself, because she really didn’t know what had gotten into her. The person making the music probably wouldn’t even notice her as she walked in. The sounds being made sounded too perfect and emotional to come from someone who would be alerted by her soft presence.

 

“Well?” Tikki peaked out again, her eyes wide with questioning. Marinette was still just standing before the door. She blinked again and breathed out the air she didn’t realized she had been holding in.

 

Marinette was stressed and antsy. Her hands shook slightly at her side and she felt a bead of sweat release from her forehead and trail down her face. She thought about turning back around because the thought of interrupting this person was too much for her to even consider, but the clear of Tikki’s throat pushed her forward. Obviously she wasn’t the only one curious now.

 

She held her breath again and peered around the doorframe to peek into the room. She would have gasped if not for the breath that was already waiting to be released, which she was grateful for. Because it wasn’t just anymore playing the piano, but Adrien Agreste. Interrupting anyone would have been horrible, but interrupting him would have been disastrous. 

 

Marinette flung herself away from the doorframe with wide eyes and a newly raised awareness of her own heavy breathing. She was being loud, _too_ loud, and she closed her eyes in anticipation of Adrien finding her and yelling at her for disrupting him. But that never came, and so Marinette let herself open her eyes. She slid down the wall and hugged her knees to her chest as she worked on steadying her breathing, but nothing worked. She was even antsier, if that was possible.

 

Tikki flew out from her bag now, looking from side to side to make sure no one was around before she made an appearance. She was staring at Marinette as she hovered in front of the red-faced girl, “Marinette?” her voice was squeaky and hesitant, “What’s wrong? Who is it?”

 

“Adrien,” Marinette breathed out.

 

Tikki’s eyes bugged out and she let out a gasp. It was quiet and small, relative to her person, so Marinette didn’t have to worry about the sound getting to Adrien. Besides, Adrien was still playing away while Marinette climbed a mountain of conflict just outside of his reach.

 

“Adrien?” Tikki whispered, earning a quick and over-exaggerated nod from her charge.

 

Marinette had been thinking about stealing another peak, as the image of Adrien lost in his own music was beautiful. His eyes had been closed, head moving gently with the changing notes, and fingers swiftly flying across the board. He was talented, way more talented than Marinette had imagined. His movements were an art piece of their own.

 

But right as Marinette had decided that just one more glance couldn’t hurt, the bell rang, and Adrien’s music abruptly stopped.

 

“Oh no,” Marinette whined quietly, standing up and almost tripping herself by the force of her own anxious movements. She had missed her first class, and was about to be caught eavesdropping on her school-girl crush. She needed to leave now.

 

Thankfully Tikki was already safely in Marinette’s bag again and away from civilian view. Marinette rushed to get as far away from the music room as possible, rounding the corner in a hurry. She wasn’t looking where she was going, she couldn’t even process her own movements, so of course she ran into a sudden presence.

 

“Marinette? What in the hell are you doing?” Alya held onto Marinette’s arms to steady her. If she hadn’t, Marinette was sure she would have sprung back onto the floor and landed on her butt.

 

She took a second to breathe before looking at Alya, “Just, you know, meandering the halls.”

 

Alya’s eyebrows shot up, “Instead of being in class?”

 

“Well, I mean, I was late again and I didn’t feel like coming up with another excuse,” Marinette gave Alya a nervous laugh.

 

Someone laughed beside Alya, Nino, “You mean all those reasons for being late weren’t true? But they all sounded so _real_.”

 

Marinette looked at Nino and tried to force a smile. When she looked back at Alya, her best friend’s eyes were narrowed, telling Marinette that she would have to explain herself later that day. Alya’s hands dropped from Marinette’s arms, and Marinette did her best to stand up straight now that she wasn’t in danger of being discovered. At least, for now. Alya’s stare told her that Marinette wasn’t going to be able to lie her way out of this little run in.

 

“Hey guys!” Adrien came up from behind Marinette, causing her to jump like a frightened cat into the air. He watched her with part concern and part shock, for he hadn’t really thought his welcoming greeting would earn such a reply.

 

Alya pulled Marinette to her side, to face Adrien, and offered him a polite smile, “Hey!”

 

Alya was so good at this. Talking. If Adrien hadn’t been around, Marinette would have pouted, but she kept it in. He already thought she was crazy.

 

“You get in a good practice?” Nino asked with a friendly and boyish pat on Adrien’s shoulder. Oh how Marinette wished she could touch Adrien’s shoulder like that.

 

He grinned, “Yep! It was great getting out of class, too,” his smile broadened at Nino’s grimace, but then he turned his attention to Marinette, “Oh, hey, I was actually going to ask you if I could borrow your notes since I wasn’t in class today,”

 

Marinette blinked at Adrien for a moment before replying, not understanding that he was actually speaking to her. A slow blush covered her freckles, “M-my notes?”

 

Adrien cocked his head, unsure why Marinette needed clarification. But he wasn’t going to say anything, that would have been rude, so he just nodded at the girl and tried to calm her nerves by sending her a warm smile. But that, unfortunately, just made her blush deepen.

 

“No can do. Marinette just so happened to be absent from class today, too,” Alya was speaking to Adrien, but she eyed Marinette. Marinette grinned nervously at her best friend before nodding at Adrien.

 

“Oh,” Adrien was a little taken aback by that. Marinette was late a lot, sure, but she had never missed a class, “Then, maybe I could borrow your notes, Alya?”

 

Alya returned the smile that Adrien directed toward her, and nodded, “Sure thing. I’ll send the notes to both of you,” she glanced at Marinette before settling on Adrien again. Marinette was really gonna have to get Alya to teach her the ways of speaking correctly.

 

“Thanks so much, Alya. I really appreciate it!”

 

Nino swapped sides then to stand next to Adrien, “Well, Adrien and I are gonna head to our next class. We’ll see you two at lunch?”

 

“Oh, shoot, I forgot to tell you,” Adrien turned to Nino now, “I’m going to be practicing during lunches. Mrs. Bustier doesn’t want me skipping every class so she said I could do it this time, but I’d have to find another way to practice for the rest of the week. Lunch is the only time I can do it now.”

 

Nino frowned, but quickly shrugged to show he didn’t truly mind, “That’s fine. I can hang with the girls,” he grinned, but it was only directed toward Alya, who rolled her eyes.

 

“Uh, actually, I have to study in the library this week,” Marinette’s eyes were wider than usual in shock of what she was doing. She was actually lying to her friends to spy on Adrien some more, who was standing right in front of her. Marinette felt like if she were to breathe wrong, Adrien would figure her out, so she opted for just not breathing at all.

 

Alya looked at Marinette with a confused expression, “Um, what? Since when?”

 

“Since I got a bad grade on the last test,” she nodded vigorously, “I need to study if I’m gonna do well on the next one. Physics isn’t my strong suit,” a nervous laugh from Marinette earned a narrowed eyed stare from Alya, who was too good at figuring her out.

 

Alya opened her mouth to say something, but stopped short when Nino beat her to it, “No worries,” he said, grinning at Alya again. Alya rolled her eyes a second time and huffed, though she was secretly a little excited to be spending more time with Nino. That was what made her decide not to comment on Marinette’s strange mood. Besides, Marinette was a strange girl. Maybe she was just overanalyzing everything.

 

“Cool, well, glad that’s all sorted,” Adrien was pulling Nino away as they backed up, “Gotta get to class. See you girls soon,” he smiled once again at Alya, and then at Marinette, before turning around and walking with Nino.

 

“The last test we took was an English exam,” Alya said pointedly when the boys were gone, staring at Marinette now with a hand on her hip, “What’s up?”

 

“Oh,” she blinked stupidly, “Right.”

 

“Where were you this morning?”

 

“I told you. Meandering…” she trailed off and looked away, hoping that Alya would drop it. She couldn’t tell Alya that she had been listening to Adrien play. It sounded so pathetic in her head, she didn’t even want to say it out loud.

 

“Mmhmm,” Alya wasn’t buying it, but she also wasn’t going to push it when Marinette obviously didn’t want to talk about it right now. She’d bring it up again later when Marinette was less blushy and shaky, “Let’s get to class then, shall we?”

 

Marinette brought her attention back to Alya and gave her a grateful smile, glad that the subject had been changed, “Okay. Lead the way!” her usual cheerful demeanor was back, which caused Alya’s cold stare to falter. Alya couldn’t help but find her best friend’s sunny disposition somewhat contagious as she wore her own smile, though much smaller than Marinette’s grin.

 

As they walked to class, Marinette’s smile slowly dropped. Three more hours until lunch, when she would act on her lie and run away to the world Adrien created with his piano playing. She didn’t know if her obsession with his music was a bad thing, but it sure didn’t feel like she was in the right.

 

____________________

 

Marinette spent her lunch hour eating on the ground in front of the music room. The courageous side of her, which she obviously named Ladybug, toyed with the idea of just walking into the room and making up some excuse about deciding against the library in the hopes that Adrien would accept her presence with open arms.

 

Marinette almost audibly snorted at that thought. Ha, yeah right, as if Adrien Agreste would want her to listen to his music. As if her ears were worthy enough to take in the velvety smooth sequence of music that Adrien was somehow able to create. Marinette decided that it was a better idea to steal the music from the air than to act like she earned it. So, she sat, nibbled on her sandwich, and tried to soak up the music that drifted from the walls behind her. The door was almost closed this time, muffling the noise more than before, but it was still audible.

 

She watched the clock religiously, knowing that she’d have to leave way earlier than usual to make her way to the library. She planned on walking in and then walking right back out. There was a chance that Alya would want to walk to their next class together, and she needed to get there before her. Marinette hated the lies, but something inside of her needed to listen to Adrien play, and that same side of her convinced her to keep this need from her best friend, if only for now. Today, at least, his talent was hers.

 

It wasn’t actually hers, of course. It was Adrien’s, solely Adrien’s, and something she’d never experience for herself. But listening to him play, even from the floor of the hallway, it sort of felt like she was connecting with him.

 

She grimaced at herself. This was weird, she knew. Borderline stalkerish, probably, but so was putting up tons of posters on her wall of a boy she hardly talked to.

 

Still, those posters were open to the public. His talent was not. It was private, and she was selfishly taking it for herself.

 

If she was ever seen by Adrien, or by anyone for that matter, she’d feel sick. So then how did eavesdropping and lying as she had been make it okay? If no one knew about her wrongs, did that make them right? No, of course not, and the thought alone made her sick.

 

The clock on her phone told Marinette that she still had thirty minutes before the end of lunch. Plenty of time to finish her food and listen a bit more before she had to rush to the library. But the piano wasn’t enough to keep her from her self-degrading thoughts, and they rang so true that she felt she needed to go now. She had already done enough, and now it was time to leave.

 

She stood quietly so as not to attract attention from the boy behind the walls that she had just been leaning against. Marinette very, _very_ carefully collected her trash, gently holding the things that could crinkle loud enough to ruin her escape, before she quickly walked away from the door. The music eventually died behind her.

 

Instead of going to the library, she threw her trash away and sought out to find Alya. It only took her a few moments before she found her best friend sitting across from Nino, her sort-of friend, giggling about something that had been said. There was a fire in Alya’s eyes as she retorted a comment back. There was no flirting going on, but friendly and almost suggestive bickering. Alya wouldn’t allow Nino to just hit on her. No, she needed wit and sarcasm, and so far Nino had proven to be excellent at it. He wasn’t boring, nor did he try to over exaggerate himself. He listened to Alya, offering funny comments to her boisterous ladyblog rants. Marinette almost didn’t want to interrupt their dance, but Nino noticed her and waved her over.

 

She sat down with a smile, not only because her friends were beaming, but because she really liked just being with them. They were funny, and as they started another heated debate on something mundane, Marinette laughed more times than she could count. Even though the conversation was pretty tame, she caught Alya and Nino blushing a few times and couldn’t help but grin to herself. She could easily see Nino becoming one of her close friends. They’d be a happy triangle.

 

Er, square. Because Adrien sat down next to Nino, across from Marinette, sporting an easy smile on his lips.

 

“Hey, dude!” Nino was beaming with joy as he turned his attention from Alya to Adrien, “You decided to join us?”

 

Adrien nodded, “I mean, there’s only fifteen minutes left of lunch. I can spare a few moments for my favorite people,” he grinned at Nino, “Unless I was interrupting something?” his grin turned into a smirk as he looked between Nino and Alya.

 

Um, hello, favorite _people_?

 

Nino blushed furiously, but Alya didn’t miss a beat. As always, “Not at all, Agreste. Your boy and I were just…having a nice chat.”

 

Marinette took herself from her thoughts on Adrien’s earlier comment to snort. She covered her mouth after, not expecting to allow herself to make such a sound. Alya was mock-glaring at her though, and gently knocked her shoulder, which made Marinette feel a little bit more at ease. But she was rigid again as more music found her ears. This time it wasn’t a piano, but Adrien’s laugh. And he was laughing at her, no less. Her snort, her joke, had made him laugh.

 

Marinette blushed and looked away, but Adrien didn’t seem to notice because his laugh didn’t falter from her uncomfortable expression. But was she really uncomfortable? No, not truly. His laugh made her giddy and a little self-conscious, but not uncomfortable.

 

For once, she wasn’t completely nervous around Adrien, and that was cool. Maybe it was because she had shared a secret with him, though it was one sided, when she listened to his talent. Or maybe it was because of that favorite people comment, which she was going to assume included her. Or maybe it was the way he seemed so comfortable around her and Alya that made it seem weird to be uncomfortable around him anymore.

 

She was still a little nervous, of course, and though the pedestal in which she used to put him on display in the Most-Beautiful-And-Deserving-Of-Love museum that she had in her mind was growing taller and taller by the minute, Marinette found herself turning back to Adrien and smiling at his laughter. She had made him laugh, and maybe that was something to be proud of rather than something to shy away from.

 

“Okay, okay,” Nino punched Adrien’s arm playfully, “Chill. Both of you,” he rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. And so was Alya, and so was Adrien (still), and so, most magnificently, was Marinette.

 

So why, the next day, did Marinette find herself eating lunch outside of the music room again? She had told herself that this was certainly weird, but she had also convinced herself the night before that maybe it was the music that was making her more comfortable around him, for whatever reason. She wasn’t Alya. She couldn’t just talk to him, but maybe this was a step in the right direction.

 

The piece Adrien played was the same one from the day before. Marinette finished her lunch early, and rested her head against the wall behind her. With her eyes closed, she memorized the tune so she could fall asleep that night to the memory. It was a lullaby constructed from the most perfect being, even though she was sure Adrien hadn’t written the piece himself. Or maybe he had? She could see him being that amazing.

 

As planned, Marinette collected her belongings twenty minutes before lunch was over and walked to the library. She waited a moment, but Alya never showed up to meet her or anything, so Marinette deemed the coast clear enough to walk back out of the library and to the lunch spot from the day before. She almost gasped when she saw Adrien sitting next to Nino again. Had he followed her? Had he seen her walk to the library? Did he know?

 

But no, he didn’t, because the smile he gave her as she sat down next to Alya was not accusatory, angry, or confused, but welcoming and friendly. And she didn’t shy away from it this time, either. Instead, Marinette smiled back, earning a wider grin from Adrien. She blushed then, of course, but it was okay because it wasn’t too much. It wasn’t crazy Marinette acting crazy again.

 

Maybe this music thing really was helping.

 

Of course, Alya and Nino didn’t even pay attention to the exchange. They were talking vividly about homework, about how stupid question 5 on the physics worksheet was. Marinette agreed, but she chose to stay quiet. She didn’t want to push her luck with the newfound normalcy.

 

____________________

 

“Well, My Lady,” Chat Noir bowed in front of Ladybug and reached out to take her hand in his. A small kiss was placed just above her knuckles, “another akuma down. Another night with you well spent,” a smirk played on Chat’s lips as he starred up at Ladybug from his bowed position.

 

Ladybug rolled her eyes and took her hand away from Chat’s gentle hold. A tingle resonated where his lips had touched her, but she chose to ignore it. His kisses were nothing but shameless flirtation.

 

Chat came out from the bow with a widened smirk and pulled Ladybug closer with one swift pull of her waist. Ladybug gasped quietly, but regained her composure quickly, pushing him away from her body with annoyance, “That’s enough for tonight, Kitty.”

 

They were standing together on top of a secluded building. They had just beaten another enemy, someone called The Rodent Ravager (a rat exterminator had been fired from his job or something). It had been an easy fight, so easy that neither Chat nor Ladybug had to use their special powers, and had hardly strained them at all.

 

The sun was setting into night, and the stars were beginning to glint against the darkening backdrop. It was a scene that artists from other parts of the world dreamed about capturing in their paintings. But nothing was like the real thing.

 

The scenery was, however, very familiar to Ladybug and Chat Noir. They had lived in Paris their whole lives, of course, so something as beautiful as the Eiffel tower against a sea of stars was a normal everyday image. The sight didn’t falter Ladybug’s abrupt turn away from Chat as she readied her yoyo to carry her away.

 

“Wait!” Chat reached out to grab Ladybug’s wrist again, but he decided against it. Maybe limited touch was what he’d need to convince her to stay.

 

Ladybug looked over her shoulder at Chat just as he dropped his hand back to his side. Her eyes shot up in question. She surveyed the boy, taking in his unusual apprehensive demeanor. He was usually so sure of himself that a waver in his smirk was more than surprising to Ladybug. Whatever he wanted to say, it was at least mildly important.

 

“Would it be so bad if we both stayed for a little while longer? We didn’t have to use lucky charm or cataclysm this time…which means we don’t have to rush off before we change back. Right?” his eyes blinked with pleading. A twinge of stress flashed across his eyes. It was then that Ladybug noticed the bags under Chat Noir’s eyes. He was tired, _sad_ even, and he needed her to stay just a little longer.

 

Ladybug supposed that hanging out with her best friend for a little while longer wouldn’t hurt. She honestly liked being around him, though he annoyed her like crazy sometimes.

 

Ladybug fully turned back around and offered a warm smile to Chat, which caused his own face to break out in a smile that could compete with the rays of the sun. He was so cheery, always so happy, but this was the first time Ladybug wondered if he was just a good actor.

 

“Thank you, Bugaboo,” Chat said quietly before his grin turned into a smirk, “I knew you wouldn’t be able to stay away from me.”

 

Ladybug huffed and rolled her eyes, but stayed where she was standing, “You’re ridiculous, Chat.”

 

Chat continued smirking, but moved from where they were standing on top of the flat-roofed building to sit on the ledge. His legs dangled over the edge, something that would have terrified him if he were Adrien. But no, he was Chat Noir right now, and he was allowed to not be afraid of anything. Except maybe the beautiful girl that had just sat down next to him.

 

They sat in silence for a moment. Ladybug broke the silence first, but not with words. She hummed quietly to herself, loud enough for Chat Noir to hear but not loud enough to really make out the tune. It wasn’t until Ladybug had hummed all the way through the song and was repeating it that it started to sound incredibly familiar to Chat.

 

It was his song.

 

Well, not _his_ song. He certainly hadn’t written it. He wasn’t _that_ amazing.

 

But the song was definitely the same song he had been playing just that day at lunch. It was a song he knew so well, he could play it in his sleep. He still practiced it though, at the insistence of his father, because a talent competition was coming up, sponsored by his father’s company. It was invite only, with the best of the best in fashion coming to take a break from their professional lives. Adrien wasn’t competing. Gabriel couldn’t risk being called a bias liar if his son won his own competition, and Adrien really was good enough to win.

 

Instead, he was ordered to play as an opening to the competition. Adrien was supposed to showcase his talent in order to support his father’s amazing reputation. Adrien was the face of the Gabriel Agreste brand after all.

 

But the tune wasn’t being create from his own hands this time. It was coming from his Ladybug.

 

Chat looked at Ladybug as she continued humming. Her eyes were closed and she was slightly swaying to the music. She was so wrapped up in it. So beautiful.

 

Chat cleared his throat, which made Ladybug open her eyes, but she didn’t stop humming quietly. She looked at him expectantly, but she wasn’t annoyed. Finally he had done something that didn’t annoy her.

 

“What…what are you humming?” he swallowed hard. Of course he knew the answer, that this couldn’t have just been a coincidence. Ladybug had to of heard him play at lunch, which meant she went to his school. _Maybe_. Even though Chat knew deep down that Ladybug got her song from him, he wouldn’t let himself get his hopes up. There was still a chance that everything, somehow, was really just a fluke.

 

Ladybug stopped humming then and shrugged, “I’m not sure. A boy from my school was playing it today on the piano. I stopped to listen for a bit and I guess the tune just stuck,” she laughed, but it was a nervous laugh. She wasn’t telling him something.

 

“Oh,” his throat felt dry as she went back to humming.

 

Ladybug went to his _school_.

 

Ladybug had stopped to listen to him _play_.

 

She was _so close_.

 

Chat closed his eyes. The thought of Ladybug, the love of his life, being so close to him when he was playing was enough to set his whole body on fire.

 

Really, he thought, he could just blurt out right now that it was him playing the piano. He could reveal himself right now.

 

Chat sighed at his thoughts. No, he couldn’t, because Ladybug would be pissed. So beyond pissed, he feared, that she’d never want to talk to him again. Maybe he would even lose her as a partner.

 

Chat’s breath hitched. He couldn’t lose her too.

 

He realized too soon that Ladybug had gone silent. When he looked at her, she was eyeing him curiously, “Are you okay, Kitty?” her voice was soft, concerned.

 

 _God_ , Chat thought, his love was actually concerned for him.

 

But of course she was, because she was Ladybug, and she would feel concern for everyone. That was just one of the reasons he loved her so much, and one of the reasons why he knew he wasn’t special in her eyes. If he wasn’t her partner, she probably wouldn’t give him the time of day. He’d just be another civilian. How did he get so lucky? How was he chosen to be the silly boy that got to sit with her amongst the stars?

 

Chat cleared his throat again. He was so nervous suddenly, but for good reason.

 

 _I’m Adrien, I’m Adrien, I’m Adrien!_ He chanted in his head. Of course, he couldn’t say that, so he settled with, “Just a bit more tired than usual, My Lady.”

 

Ladybug nodded as if she already knew this, as if she had already observed this about him.

 

Chat decided to take a chance.

 

The worst thing Ladybug could do as he lowered his head onto her lap was push him off, which wasn’t something he’d put past her. He was still learning her boundaries, but he was more than happy to learn what he was allowed to do. He would never want to make his lady uncomfortable.

 

But, to Chat’s surprise, Ladybug didn’t push him away. Instead, she set a hand on top of his blonde head with a feathery-light touch. Chat breathed out in relief. His eyes closed at the same time Ladybug started up her humming again.

 

_Humming his song._

Chat decided then that he would be more observant during his practices at lunch. He was going to find out who was behind the mask of his true love. He had to, for he didn’t know how long he’d be able to take knowing that he was so close to her for hours each day.

 

If she ended up getting mad at him, that would just be something he’d have to deal with later. But right now, she wasn’t mad at him. Right now, she was lightly stroking his hair as she hummed a lullaby so beautiful he couldn’t help but feel so completely at peace.


	2. Clair de Lune

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien has a change in tune.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final essays are kicking my ass but what's college without a little procrastination?  
> Enjoy :)

Adrien was more than confident in this ability to play Moonlight Sonata. It was one of the first pieces he taught himself after his formal lessons with a piano teacher ended. The piano teacher had been teaching Adrien for years, since he was six, and told Gabriel Agreste when Adrien turned sixteen that there was nothing else for him to teach Adrien. Gabriel had been a bit upset. He couldn’t believe that Adrien had mastered something after only a _mere ten years_. But even at the request of Gabriel, Adrien’s piano teacher chose to discontinue the lessons.

 

Gabriel was livid, not so much because Adrien no longer had a teacher, but because his former teacher had gone against Gabriel’s will. Gabriel wanted to immediately seek out a new teacher, or rather, he asked Nathalie to find a replacement, but somehow Adrien convinced him to leave it be. He played for his father to prove that he was good enough, earning only a grunt in response before Gabriel retreated back into his office, but since that day Adrien was able to play on his own.

 

Even though piano had been forced upon Adrien, and had been a burden at times, he really did like that he could play. He didn’t really have anyone to play for, so piano became his secret. It was something he could do for himself. He was never told to continue practicing the piano, but he took it upon himself to do so nonetheless. Right after his father deemed him worthy enough with a grunt, Adrien worked toward learning to play Moonlight Sonata. It was a long process, but he was able to play through the whole fourteen minute song without messing up after only a few weeks of practice.

 

Adrien didn’t have anyone to tell, or anyone to celebrate with (except maybe Plagg, who shrugged at the news and went back to eating his second helping of cheese), but it was okay. He didn’t need to boast about his talent. Piano was, after all, the only civilian talent he had that was no longer dictated by his father. He was okay with keeping it to himself.

 

It was a year since first learning the piece that his father approached him about playing at the competition. Adrien knew just the song, and even though he assured his father that he knew Moonlight Sonata like the back of his hand, Gabriel insisted that Adrien take time during school to practice. Nathalie called the school straight away and asked the music teacher if Adrien could use the piano. She only needed to mention the Agreste name to be given a yes.

 

But even though Adrien held Moonlight Sonata near to his heart, it was becoming increasingly boring to play the same song over and over again every day. And now that Gabriel knew of the song, Adrien almost didn’t feel like it was his secret anymore.

 

So, on the third day of his practices, he changed it up. Not only because the former song had gone stale, but because he needed to test something out.

 

Would Ladybug be listening again?

 

Would she hum this new song during their patrol later that night?

 

Adrien had originally planned on just standing outside of the music room until a female walked by, and then he was going to approach her about being Ladybug. He didn’t need to ask Plagg about his plan to know that it was completely stupid, so he scrapped it. He wasn’t sure if Ladybug would even stop to listen again, let alone whether or not she’d walk by at all.

 

He decided that he needed to experiment. He would see if Ladybug’s humming was a reoccurring thing, and then he’d find her. Somehow.

 

He hadn’t thought that far.

 

But he didn’t need to think that far, he told himself, because there was still a chance that Ladybug would never encounter his playing again. Adrien tried to remind himself of this as he sat down to the piano at lunch. It was useless to worry about what song to play. He wasn’t in a position where he needed to impress Ladybug (she didn’t even know who he was. He was just some boy at her school).

 

Instead of overthinking his song choice, he chose another song near and dear to his heart. A song that he remembered his mother playing for him up until she disappeared. It was her favorite.

 

Adrien breathed a single shaky breath, his hands hovering over the keys. They were steady, they had to be for him to create a clear and perfect sound, but he felt like they were about to fall off.

 

It wasn’t until he began the song that the apprehension disappeared. Music replaced the blood in his veins at the first note. His breath was no longer shaky, but strong and confident. He knew how to play piano.

 

Adrien played through the song a few times, adding more emotion to it each time he began from the beginning, and soon forgot what he was supposed to be doing. He was _supposed_ to be watching the door as he played to see if anyone was around. He had kept the door wide open in the hopes that it would be more inviting to any passersby. Namely, a certain black-haired beauty.

 

But the song was more inviting to him than the door could be, and he lost himself in the music again. It wasn’t until his phone’s alarm rang out to tell him that it was twenty minutes before lunch was over that he removed his hands from the keys. Tomorrow maybe, he told himself.

 

With a sigh of disappointment at his own disability to stay focused, Adrien stood from the piano and slung his backpack over his shoulder.

 

By the time he sat down next to Nino, he had recovered. It was only an experiment after all. If Ladybug brought his song with her again that night, then he’d act on it. Until then, if it even happened, today was just another day to play the piano.

 

“You still workin’ on Moonlight Santana or whatever?” Nino asked Adrien as he sat down. Nino was just as musical as Adrien, but he wasn’t much for classics. Adrien could appreciate Nino’s area of expertise but Nino wasn’t very interested in Adrien’s. Still, Nino always made an effort to ask about Adrien’s music. Musical bros had to stick together, always.

 

“Uh, no, not anymore. I know that song too well to spend an hour a day practicing,” Adrien shrugged, sparing the details about why he had really chosen to change the song.

 

“So you’re done with piano? We can expect you to join us more often?” Alya wore a friendly smile. Adrien smiled back. He really liked Alya. She was this outgoing, funny, confident girl that made his best friend elated, and rightfully so. Alya was just great. A great friend, a great person.

 

“I think I’m still going to spend the lunch hour playing, just not Moonlight _Sonata_ ,” he threw a smirk at Nino, accentuating the word he had messed up.

 

In the corner of his left eye, just next to Alya’s head, he saw a small girl walking toward them. Marinette. Adrien immediately grinned at her presence, and he could see her blush from the lunch table.

 

If Alya was great, Marinette was _terrific_. There was just something about her that intrigued Adrien so much. She was an enigma; a riddle that he couldn’t seem to figure out. He saw the way she acted with others. So sure of herself, so witty and bubbly. Then she’d see him and become this blushy and shaky girl that he knew wasn’t the real her. Her blushing sure was cute though.

 

She couldn’t be afraid of him, he had assured himself. She wouldn’t want to hang around him if that were the case. Or maybe she _was_ super afraid of him, but she was able to push through the fear every time he came close. If anything, that just made her more terrific.

 

Marinette returned his smile with a much shyer tug on her lips before she joined them. Even though she usually stayed pretty quiet during their time together, at least she felt comfortable enough to return his smiles and laugh at Nino and Alya’s jokes. It was progress. Maybe someday soon he’d actually get Marinette to be his friend.

 

“How’s the studying going?” Alya strained a smile at Marinette and blinked a few more times than normal at her.

 

“It’s going great. A lot of good is happening in that library,” her grin was too broad to be real. Alya rolled her eyes and shook her head, but didn’t say anything. Something more was hanging in the air, a truth that wasn’t being told, but Alya didn’t push it or elaborate on what she knew. Nino took that as a cue to draw the attention to himself.

 

He was picking at the rest of his lunch, which had consisted of a cheese sandwich, sliced apples, and some off-brand bag of chips. His sandwich was half eaten as he poked little finger indents into the soft bread. Alya grimaced at him, but that only egged Nino on more.

 

“You’re so gross,” Alya gagged dramatically and attempted to smack Nino’s hand away from his lunch, but Nino just returned to his squishing as soon as her hand was back on her lap.

 

“That’s pretty crumby of you, man,” Adrien said with the straightest face he could muster. Nino stopped his squishing abruptly to stare up at his best friend.

 

“I’m gonna need you to fuck right off the side of a building,” Nino glared at Adrien as Adrien broke into a wide grin.

 

“I _knead_ you to stop using such foul language,” Adrien could hardly get the pun out as he tried to keep from laughing.

 

“Oh my God, stop,” Alya was staring at Adrien like she had never met him before. Adrien laughed at her expression, and only then turned to Marinette.

 

Marinette’s eyes were narrowed, shooting invisible lasers into Adrien’s head. Adrien stopped laughing at once, but continued the starring contest with the girl across from him.

 

A small smile played on Adrien’s lips a moment later as he leaned forward and said, very quietly, “I’m really on a _roll_ , aren’t I?”

 

Marinette’s face squished up in disgust, which just set Adrien’s laughter off again. Alya groaned in harmony with the lunch bell ringing, telling the group that it was time to head inside.

 

“Please never speak again,” Nino shook his head as the four of them stood and grabbed their bags.

 

As they walked toward the door, Adrien sighed, “You’re right. It’s the yeast I could do.”

 

Marinette pushed his shoulder gently, but she was smiling to herself when he looked down at her.

 

It was a lot easier making friends than Adrien had imagined.

 

____________________

 

Hawk Moth had decided to lay off that night, as an akuma never interrupted Marinette’s perfect day.

  
Even though she had discovered that her crush held a deep dark secret, that he was a lover of puns, she couldn’t help but feel elated ever since lunch ended. It was beginning to feel so natural being around Adrien. At least, much more natural than before. She still hadn’t tried talking to him, fearing that she’d ruin any rapport that had been built since Monday by stuttering her way through an embarrassing sentence. She knew she’d have to talk to him sometime if their friendship was going to grow, but until she felt like she could eloquently discuss something normal, Marinette was okay with staying quiet.

 

Besides, her timidity didn’t seem to keep Adrien from noticing her. The grin he flashed her when she was walking toward the lunch table would be burned in her brain forever, lulling her into happy dream worlds that were decorated with only Adrien’s face.

 

It had totally taken her mind off of the conversation she had had with Alya the night before.

 

Alya had called Marinette at around eight o’clock, having just finished her homework for the night. Marinette, of course, wasn’t done yet but she knew that missing her friend’s call would result in a bad temper from Alya.

 

“Let’s just cut to the chase, okay?” Alya wasn’t a bullshitter. Marinette didn’t even get to say hello before Alya spoke daggers.

 

“What’s up?” Marinette tried to keep her voice even, talking in an innocent tone.

 

“As if you don’t know what I’m going to ask,” Marinette could imagine Alya rolling her eyes as she said this.

 

“I really don’t,” Marinette shrugged at no one.

 

“Oh my God, Girl!” She sounded exasperated, “Where were you yesterday morning?!”

 

“I toooold you,” Marinette drew out the word, “I was-”

 

“If you say meandering one more time-”

 

“Okay!” Marinette sighed, “Okay. I was walking to class, and then I heard someone playing piano. It was beautiful, and I was curious.”

 

“Oh dear,” Alya sighed into the receiver. She knew where this was going.

 

“I didn’t know it was Adrien! I just wanted to see who it was. Just one little peak. And then it _was_ Adrien, and I couldn’t leave. He plays so beautifully, Alya.”

 

Alya was quiet on the other line.

 

“What did you get on our last physics exam?” She asked a moment later.

 

Marinette groaned before replying through gritted teeth, “a 96%”

 

“I knew it!”

 

“I’m so sorry Alya! I don’t know why I lied or what got into me. I just…I had to…” she groaned again and closed her eyes. Her homework had been forgotten as she slouched down into her pink desk chair.

 

Alya was silent again, and Marinette grew more tired of the situation for every second filled with nothing. She couldn’t even bring herself to regret what she had done. She had lied, yes, but she hadn’t really _hurt_ Alya or anyone else. If anything, only good had come from her lie. She was closer to Adrien! Yay!

 

But she had lied to _Alya_ , of all people. Did she value Adrien over Alya?

 

No. _Never_.

 

It was then that she did start to regret it, even if only a little, “I’m sorry,” she whispered into the receiver, unsure if Alya would even hear.

 

Alya sighed, and it was enough sound to perk Marinette up at least a little bit.

 

“It’s okay,” Alya laughed, “At least tell me you plan on _meandering_ into the music room sometime soon to help your little Adrien play piano. I’m sure he needs a muse,” her words dripped with mockery.

 

Marinette grinned and sat up straighter in the chair. Her heart, which had been pounding, was slowing back into a healthy rhythm now that the verdict was in, and Alya wasn’t mad at her.

 

“That’s not the plan at all. So far my plan has only consisted of creepily eating lunch in front of the door until I feel like I need to go before I’m caught,” Marinette couldn’t help but laugh at herself. She was hopeless.

 

“Oh boy,” Alya sighed again, but it wasn’t in annoyance or anger this time, “You need to do something, Marinette.”

 

“Why? Things are going pretty well, I’d say. You saw what happened at lunch today. Adrien laughed at me!”

 

“You’ve really set the bar low, Hun.”

 

“It’s a start,” Marinette pouted.

 

Marinette had tried to talk the next day at lunch, but it went just as well as the day before. She just couldn’t do it. Later that night, Alya called again and repeated to Marinette what she had already said.

 

“You really, _really_ need to do something!” Alya raised her voice into the phone.

 

“I told you! This is just the beginning!” Marinette was trying to be adamant, but she could see Alya’s point. Maybe she was taking their friendship too slow.

 

“No, it’s not. You didn’t say one word at lunch. I was expecting you to join in on the puns or something. That seems dorky enough for you.”

 

Marinette rolled her eyes, “You know I hate puns.”

 

“No I don’t?” Alya questioned. Marinette furrowed her eyebrows before realizing: the only person who knew of her hatred for puns was Chat, and she guessed Adrien after she pushed him for that yeast joke. _God_.

 

“Oh. Well, I’m not particularly fond of them.”

 

“I totally would have pegged you for a pun girl.”

 

Marinette grimaced, “That might be the worst insult I’ve ever received from anyone ever.”

 

“Wait, wait, wait,” the sound of typing furiously came from the other line. Marinette waited, as instructed, but she was suddenly nervous, “Okay,” Alya sounded distracted, as if she was reading, and then she gasped.

 

“What? Alya?”

 

“I have a very important question for you,” Alya sounded breathless, and Marinette sat fully straight in her chair. Once again, her homework was lying unfinished on her desk.

 

“Okay…?”

 

Alya took a deep breath, “What is a runner’s favorite subject in school?”

 

Marinette’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she tried to process what had just been said. She was expecting something important, maybe something dire, but Alya was just trying to tell a pu—

 

“No,” Marinette groaned at the realization.

 

Alya snickered, “Jog-raphy!”

 

“Goodbye, Alya,” Marinette said, and then hung up as Alya lost it on the other line.

 

 “Is everything alright, Marinette?” the question came from her little bug, Tikki, who was now sitting on top of Marinette’s computer monitor.

 

“Yeah, yeah, everything’s fine,” she sighed. Everything _was_ fine. If not for listening to Adrien play, Marinette would still be stuttering up a storm in front of him. She really had made progress, and maybe it wasn’t as much progress as she wanted, but it was something.

 

Marinette stood from her desk, glancing at the unfinished homework still sitting on top. It was the second night in a row she’d have to stay up late finishing homework thanks to her conversations with Alya. But it was fine. Knowing that Alya wasn’t mad at her brought so much relief to Marinette that she didn’t mind putting in an extra hour to do homework if it meant she got to talk to her best friend.

 

Speaking of best friends…

 

“Time to go!” Marinette grinned at Tikki, trying to sooth the concerned look on the kwami.

 

Tikki smiled back and flew up to rub her head against Marinette’s cheek lovingly, “Ready when you are!”

 

“Tikki, Transform me!”

 

 ____________________

 

It was completely dark when Ladybug landed down next to Chat. He had been crouched, much like a real cat, and starring off into the distance. But at the sound of his lady, he stood straight up and grinned at her.

 

“Nice of you to drop in,” he waggled his eyebrows at her.

 

Three people telling puns in a day? This was too much for Ladybug. She grimaced at him, but Chat was used to it. He took it in stride, chuckling quietly to himself.

 

“Ready to patrol?” She raised her eyebrows, taking a step closer to the edge of the building they were on. It was their usual building, one situated in the middle of their city. It was tall enough to look out and see for miles, and it kept them from being seen by civilians.

 

Chat Noir shrugged, “Or we could just hang out again.”

 

Ladybug narrowed her eyes at Chat. For some reason, Chat Noir had been pushing her to hang out with him more than usual. Not that she minded being around him, but the change was very sudden. It was as if he no longer wanted the relationship they had, but wanted to be closer. Her mind immediately ran to the idea that Chat was trying to find out her identity, but that thought was so insane that Ladybug visibly shook her head.

 

She completely and utterly trusted Chat.

 

Chat’s ears drooped. He had taken the shake of Ladybug’s head as a no for hanging out. He readied himself for having to catch up to Ladybug when she inevitably flung herself off of the building, but another moment passed, and she didn’t move.

 

“Okay,” Ladybug shrugged, and took a seat at the edge of the building.

 

“Really?” Chat’s eyes widened as he hurried to where Ladybug was sitting.

 

“Sure.”

 

“You’re not worried about Hawk Moth?”

 

She sighed, “I’m always worried about Hawk Moth.”

 

“But I mean…” Chat looked out onto the city. It was relatively calm, but for how long? “It’s been pretty peaceful today. Maybe Hawk Moth is planning a surprise night attack.”

 

Ladybug stiffened at the thought, but then relaxed a moment after. She laughed up at Chat Noir, “Are you really trying to convince me to say no to you?”

 

Chat Noir blinked at that. No…he just didn’t believe that his lady would want to sit with him two meetings in a row. Usually they were all business with a few jokes and laughs thrown in. It was friendship, but a very surface friendship. Her presence calmed him, but he hardly knew anything about her.

 

He wondered if she felt the same way, that it was time to get to know each other better.

 

Chat grinned and quickly sat down next to Ladybug. His legs dangled just as they had two nights before, but this time he swayed them excitedly. The thought of Ladybug wanting to get to know him was one he would wish on a million stars to make it come true.

 

They sat in silence for a moment, and Chat held his breath, waiting for Ladybug to hum again.

 

But that never came, so instead, Chat scooted closer until their thighs touched and he whistled.

 

Ladybug turned to him with raised eyebrows.

 

“It’s beautiful tonight, isn’t it?” he smiled at her.

 

Ladybug narrowed her eyes and nodded, “I suppose it is, yes.”

 

“Some might say,” he waggled his eyebrows and leaned toward Ladybug, “It’s romantic.”

 

Ladybug pushed Chat’s chest to get him away, but a small smile played on her lips, “You’re hopeless,” she breathed out.

 

Chat laughed, “Hopelessly in love with you.”

 

Ladybug’s heart ached. Someone had just said they _loved her_. But she had to remind herself, this was Chat. Not only was he her best friend and partner, but he threw around flirtatious words like they didn’t mean anything.

 

Chat sensed the change in atmosphere between them, and cleared his throat to try to alleviate what he had created. He started to say something, maybe to apologize, but Ladybug spoke before him.

 

“You seem less tired today,” she observed, giving him a once over before settling on his face and offering a small smile. It was almost like she was trying to spare him from explaining his stupid ‘I love you’ bit, which he wasn’t sure if he was grateful for. Maybe if he was forced to explain his flirting, he’d be able to push himself to actually confess to liking her. But it was too easy to give into Ladybug’s subject change, so he did.

 

Chat shrugged, “I guess so. I think I was more stressed a couple days ago than tired.”

 

“Oh?” Ladybug questioned with concern, “What about?”

 

“Uh…” he smiled sadly, “It might give too much away,” what he wanted to say was _‘Oh you know, I just have a big piano performance coming up in a few days that I’ve been practicing for. You know that boy you heard playing the piano? Haha, that was totally me and I’m totally in love with you. Hi, I’m Adrien Agreste.’_ But he decided that might have been a little too forward.

 

Ladybug nodded, “Right. Sorry for asking.”

 

Chat shook his head, “You know I’d tell you anything. Everything.”

 

Ladybug opened her mouth slightly and starred at Chat, not knowing what she was supposed to say to that.

 

“I mean,” Chat swallowed hard, “I’ll tell you anything that’s appropriate,” he laughed nervously, “You know, to keep the identity hidden and everything.”

 

Chat Noir inwardly shook himself. How could he say that when he was waiting with bated breath to see if Ladybug would hum any part of the song he had played at lunch? He was actively trying to find out her identity, and yet he could so easily lie to Ladybug’s face about keeping their identities safe.

 

If he ever needed any more proof that he wasn’t good enough for his lady, this would be a solid point.

 

Ladybug breathed out and closed her mouth, but continued starring at Chat, “What questions do you think are appropriate?”

 

Chat stopped the gentle swaying of his legs in order to use every neuron to think about her question, “I guess…what’s your favorite color?”

 

Ladybug paused, but then laughed. She continued smiling at Chat as she spoke, “I suppose that is completely appropriate. My favorite color is pink.”

 

“Really?” he grinned. He couldn’t help but think her color of choice was just _so cute_.

 

She nodded, “I love it. And what’s yours?”

 

Chat cocked his head, thinking the question over. He needed to answer carefully because he couldn’t risk lying to her again, even if it was a low stakes question, “You know,” he made a face, “I’m not sure I have one.”

 

Ladybugs eyes widened, “What do you mean you don’t have a favorite color?”

 

Chat shrugged, “I guess I haven’t ever thought of it,” he thought for another moment, and then grinned, resuming the gentle sway of his legs, “How about you give me a favorite color to have? I assure you I’d love whatever you pick for me.”

 

Chat was almost expecting another awkward silence, but Ladybug only looked determined. She looked off into the distance in complete thought before turning back to Chat with a small smile, “Green,” she said simply.

 

He raised his eyebrows, “Green? Why’s that, My Lady?”

 

“Your eyes…” she trailed off and blushed, “They’re very, very green. And I think anything else green would just bring them out even more.”

 

Chat’s lips slowly widened into a smile, “That’s a very well thought-out answer, LB.”

 

Ladybug looked away with a shrug, but Chat noticed that the blush didn’t go away.

 

“Ask me again,” he said suddenly.

 

“Ask you what?” Ladybug looked at him curiously.

 

“Ask me what my favorite color is,” he looked at her thoughtfully, the smile still spread across his face.

 

She giggled, “Okay, Kitty, would you _please_ tell me what your favorite color is?”

 

He dramatically huffed and looked away, “Wow, way to hit me with the hard questions, LB. I gotta think about this for a second.”

 

Ladybug laughed next to him, covering her mouth with a gloved hand.

 

“I got it!” Chat looked back to her with twinkling eyes, “Green. Definitely green.”

 

“And why’s that?” Ladybug grinned.

 

“One of my favorite people told me it would bring out my eyes,” his smile was smaller, hopeful that he hadn’t just ruined the playful mood by being too honest.

 

But no, he hadn’t, because his comment just made Ladybug’s grin widen.

 

A moment passed before Ladybug spoke again, “You’re one of my favorite people, too, Chat,” she was quiet and hesitant, but her voice rang clear in Chat’s head.

 

“ _Eye_ suppose I already knew that,” Chat nudged her shoulder, emphasizing his stupid joke.

 

“You had to go and ruin it,” Ladybug shook her head, and pushed him away.

 

Chat threw his head back and laughed joyfully, “I’m sorry, was that too _cornea_ for you?”

 

“Oh my GOD!” She widened her eyes at him, but he could tell that she was amused enough with him not to be truly annoyed.

 

Chat’s laugh eventually dissipated to just a small smile, and the two fell into a comfortable silence.

 

Eventually, though, the silence was broken again.

 

Ladybug hummed to herself just as she had two nights before, but this time it was different. Her eyes were closed and she was swaying gently to the tune, the _new_ tune that he had played at lunch.

 

The sound was almost enough for Chat to lose his hold on the edge of the building and accidentally slip off. He tried to regain his composure and focus on breathing normally.

 

After all, she didn’t know what kind of effect she had on him.  

 

He closed his eyes and played the song in his head in rhythm with her humming. She was off at some parts, and almost never hit the perfect notes, but it didn’t matter. His lady was humming as a result of his piano playing, and that in itself was _so perfect_.

 

He finally found an ounce of courage, and spoke just as she finished the song, “Another song from the piano boy?”

 

Ladybug nodded, “He’s just so good.”

 

“I bet,” Chat breathed out shakily, surprised again when Ladybug started the song over.

 

He could never get used to her humming.

 

He hoped she’d never get used to his playing, either.

 


	3. Nocturne

“Just do it!”

 

“Alya, I can’t,” Marinette gritted her teeth, looking at her friend with part anger and part pain. Mostly, though, she was just confused. Alya had requested Marinette show up early to school so that they could chat, and she brought up Adrien as soon as they met up.

 

“You say you can’t but I know you can, Marinette! Just walk into the music room at lunch and say hi.”

 

“Adrien and I are just becoming friends. I don’t want to ruin that by…by _talking_ ,” Marinette huffed and looked away, mindlessly watching students quickly walk into the school building. Alya stood in front of her, her arms crossed, glaring at Marinette.

 

“You’re not friends if you can’t even talk to him. That’s not friendship.”

 

Marinette glared back, “It’s a start.”

 

“Stop saying that! UGH!” Alya threw her arms up in anger, “It’s not a start. It’s nothing.”

 

Marinette’s glare faded away, her shoulders slumping in defeat, “I’ll just make it worse, Alya. I’m just starting to get comfortable sitting near him. I can’t talk to him just yet.”

 

Alya rolled her eyes, “Marinette. Just…act normal around him. That’s all you gotta do.”

 

Marinette scoffed, “Yeah, okay, thanks. I’ll just do that.”

 

“You know what I mean! Just say hi. Then he’ll say hi, and then you guys might be able to have an _actual_ _conversation_ ,” Alya was definitely mocking her.

 

“Alya, you don’t get it. _You_ can talk to him. _You_ can talk to Nino. You can just talk to people like it doesn’t mean anything. You’re so good at communicating and I just suck at it,” Marinette really couldn’t believe Alya. This whole time Alya had been so imperative to her sanity. She was there for Marinette whenever things became too much, but now she was getting angry at Marinette for something she just couldn’t do. It wasn’t like Marinette wanted to be shy around Adrien. Honestly, she couldn’t explain what she felt when she was around him. It was like her whole being stopped working. Like she was thrusted into a new environment without any training on how to survive. With Adrien, everything was new, and Marinette had a hard time dealing.

 

“No, that’s not true. You can talk to _everyone_ but Adrien. It’s like just his presence is enough to activate your off button. You shut down, and it’s hard to watch,” Alya’s arms hung from her side. She wasn’t as mad anymore, and her tone had become softer, but she was still trying to be assertive.

 

Marinette shook her head. Suddenly she was angry. Angry at Alya for confronting her about Adrien, but also angry at herself for being so useless around him. Angry at her situation for putting her through so much anxiety, “I’m sorry it’s so hard for you to watch, but try _living_ it, Alya. I can hardly say hello to him without feeling like dying. I don’t want this, but so far nothing other than just listening to him play has been working. Progress is something, Alya.”

 

Alya was silent for a moment before she sighed, “It’s something, but I don’t think it’s enough, Marinette. I just want you to be happy. You seem to think that Adrien makes you happy, but I’ve seen you more stressed out around him than any other time. Maybe…” Alya sighed again, “Maybe it’s time to give up.”

 

Marinette blinked a few times before she realized what Alya had said, “Give up…on what?”

 

“On Adrien. On ever being with him. Maybe on ever being his friend. I don’t know…move on?”

 

“You…I…” Marinette tried to find words as she blinked back tears. She swallowed them down before speaking again, “It sounds like _you’re_ giving up.”

 

Alya shrugged. She looked defeated and a little tired, “Yeah, maybe I am. Like I said, Mari, it’s hard seeing my best friend like this. You’re so anxious all the time about something that’s not even real. I just want you to be happy.”

 

“By giving me an ultimatum? You’re basically saying I need to force myself into a situation I’m not ready to be in or completely give up. When did this become your decision anyway?” It was getting harder for Marinette to hold back the tears, and finally, one rolled down her cheek. Alya’s eyes glanced at the tear but she ignored it.

 

“It’s not my decision. It’s 100 percent yours. Just…figure it out, okay? Let me know what you’re going to do, and I’ll do my best to back you up,” Alya still wasn’t smiling. Regardless of Alya’s words, things weren’t back to normal. Marinette felt like shit. She hadn’t realized what her anxiety was doing to Alya, and the sudden weight of worrying about Alya’s feelings almost made her crumble. Everything was just too overwhelming.

 

Marinette really didn’t know what to do. The thought of trying to have a conversation with Adrien was enough to send her into a panic, but this was the first time Marinette thoroughly questioned that response. Was it normal to feel this way when around a crush? Was it normal to feel so much anxiety when in the presence of a cute boy? It had never crossed Marinette’s mind that liking Adrien was doing her more harm than good.

 

Would it be beneficial to just give up? Marinette wasn’t usually the type to give up, but it had been years since Adrien first started public school, and Marinette still hadn’t worked up the courage to talk to him. Would she ever?

 

There was a pressure building inside of Marinette that told her she was about to cry. Her eyes ached from holding back so much emotion, and her heart was seconds away from bursting.

 

Surprisingly, Marinette realized, she wasn’t about to cry for her and Adrien’s lost relationship, but for how much stress she had put herself through over the years. She’d lost so much sleep over a boy that barely noticed her.

 

It was too much. Marinette put her hand to her mouth to soften her sobs, but her tears finally flowed. She sniffled, her knees bending as if she were about to collapse at any moment. Alya very quickly pulled Marinette into a hug. Marinette cried into her best friends shoulder for longer than she would have liked, but once she started she couldn’t find the strength to stop.

 

A couple students looked their way with soft, concerned expressions, but they minded their own businesses. Alya glared down a few who pointed or stared for too long, which they quickly took as a sign to get into the school building before Alya came after them.

 

“It’s okay, Mari, you don’t have to give him up. I’m sorry for getting angry with you,” Alya whispered, clutching Marinette closer to her.

 

At Alya’s words, Marinette pulled away and tried to contain the tears that still threatened to fall. She sniffled and attempted to wipe away the wetness around her eyes, but ultimately decided that it wasn’t worth it, “No, no, you’re right,” Marinette said in between sniffles, “I’ve spent too much effort on him. My relationship with him….” She shook her head, “It’s not even a relationship. It’s nothing,” she sighed, “You’re right.”

 

Alya looked at Marinette with concern. She had originally hoped that her talk with Marinette would motivate her to finally do something about her crush on Adrien, and she certainly didn’t think she’d end up convincing her best friend to give him up, “No, honey, I was not right. If he makes you happy—”

 

“I’m not sure he really does,” Marinette whimpered, sniffling again.

 

Alya put her hands on Marinette’s shoulders, “Maybe you don’t have to give him up cold turkey. Maybe just…push yourself. One day. Just one day of talking to him, and if you mess up then at least you tried, right?”

 

Marinette shrugged, and Alya dropped her hands back to her side, “Sure. I’ll do my best.”

 

Alya offered Marinette a small, supportive smile, but Marinette didn’t reciprocate it.

 

“I really believe in you, Marinette.”

 

Marinette smiled finally, but it too was small and a little forced.

 

She couldn’t believe that she had gone years without realizing the boy of her dreams was really only a dream.

 

 _Adrien_ was real, but was she really in love with Adrien? Or was she in love with a strange version of him that only lived in her head? She’d read the little interviews he did in magazines. She knew his favorite food, favorite song, and favorite video game, but it didn’t seem like enough to claim that she knew _him_.

 

Marinette and Alya snapped their heads to the sound of a car pulling up. The tinted windows and black exterior would usually be the cause for confusion, but it told the girls exactly who had just arrived.

 

Marinette gasped and shot a quick look of fear to Alya before she hastily hurried up the stairs and into the building. She needed to get to the bathroom fast to fix herself before seeing Adrien.

 

If she was finally going to try talking to him, she at least needed to look average.

 

She walked into the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror. She was alone, so she didn’t try to cover up the groan that escaped her lips at the sight of her reflection. Marinette’s eyes were puffy and red. Tear stains trailed down her cheeks and neck, and her nose was slightly red from all of the sniffling. It was comical, almost, to see herself looking so red and splotchy, but Marinette was in no mood to laugh. She wanted to run away and hide in her bedroom until everything was forgotten.

 

Marinette attempted to appease the swelling and redness around her eyes by splashing cold water on her face, but the paper towels she used to dry herself were rough and only caused more redness. At least, she thought, the redness was evenly distributed and not a splotchy mess. She sighed at her reflection and watched herself shake her head.

 

She tried to stay positive, but she suddenly felt drained. School hadn’t even started and already she felt like she had put in enough effort to call it a day. She didn’t want to talk to anyone, to see anyone, to hear anyone.

 

She thought about Alya, and how much pain she’d caused her best friend. She was so selfish over the last few years, pretending to be thinking of others when she was only truly thinking of herself.

 

Her eyes flickered to a new reflection, Tikki’s, when her kwami flew out of her bag.

 

“Are you okay, Marinette?” Her voice was soft and soothing, instantly relaxing Marinette’s rigid composure.

 

“I’m not sure anymore, Tikki. I think I might have made a big mistake getting so caught up on Adrien,” she sighed, turning to look at the real Tikki rather than the reflection.

 

“Do you regret it?”

 

Marinette shrugged, “I don’t know. It seems to have caused a lot more problems than it was worth.”

 

“Does he not make you happy?” Tikki flew a little closer in case she needed to comfort Marinette.

 

“He does…but I don’t know if it’s really him who makes me happy or this idealized version of him I’ve created. The real Adrien, the one I see at school, just makes me nervous.”

 

“Well of course he makes you nervous! You’ve built him up in your head so much that being near him has become scary. You’ve put him so far above you and only ever worry about messing up around him. But instead, you have to throw away that version of him you’ve created and focus on getting to know the real Adrien. He sits right in front of you in the morning and right across from you at lunch. You could so easily get to know him, but you’re shutting yourself away because you feel like you already know him, and the Adrien you know would never want to be your friend. But the real Adrien would love to be your friend, Marinette!”

 

Marinette sighed at the many truths Tikki was speaking. She had created this false reality for herself and the only way she’d be able to move on is if she found a way to get out of it. And that, scarily, meant that Marinette would probably have to get to know the real Adrien.

 

“How are you so sure he wants to be my friend?” Marinette asked quietly.

 

Tikki giggled, “Silly girl. He smiles at you all the time! He’s friendly and nice, and you’re the same! Of course he’d want to be your friend.”

 

Marinette smiled at her little bug, “Thanks, Tikki.”

 

Tikki grinned back, “Anytime, Marinette.”

 

As Marinette stared at herself in the mirror again, she did her best to smile at her reflection. She wanted to give herself the benefit of the doubt, to finally be okay with her mistakes and just pull through. And she decided that that day was as good as any to embrace her blunders, especially when she could see herself making much more in the presence of Adrien.

 

Marinette took a deep breath before turning from the mirror and walking out of the bathroom again. She stopped in surprise when she saw Alya standing in front of Nino and Adrien, who were leaning against some lockers, just across from the bathroom.

 

Marinette was surprised again when her heart didn’t stop beating out of sheer anxiety. Because, for the first time, Marinette didn’t seem to be too anxious. Her breath hitched a little bit, sure, but she didn’t get the sudden urge to fling herself into the sun, which was new.

 

Adrien was right across the way, and yet Marinette felt stable. More stable than she had ever felt, and this time Marinette didn’t believe it was because of listening to Adrien play, but because she had finally decided that she needn’t feel afraid to be herself around anyone, let alone Adrien.

 

Although Marinette had just had a minor break down, she felt that things were way clearer.

 

She could be friends with Adrien or she could not, but she’d still have herself in the end. Putting herself through the anxiety that she had been putting herself through was unfair, and Marinette consciously decided that that would no longer happen.

 

When Adrien smiled at her, her blood pressure didn’t shoot to the moon. Her heart still fluttered, but the butterflies in her stomach now came from a much nicer place.

 

Marinette smiled back in happiness, not just because Adrien was around, but because she was okay around him.

 

Alya followed Adrien’s gaze to lock eyes with Marinette. Her expression was concerned, but then became one of confusion when she saw Marinette grinning.

 

Marinette had just been standing in front of the bathroom door but had to move when someone else needed to get by. Finally, Marinette walked over to the group. Her group of _friends_.

 

When she came to stand next to Alya, Alya leaned in to whisper something into Marinette’s ear, hoping that only they’d be able to hear, though Adrien and Nino were watching, “Are you okay?”

 

Marinette looked at her best friend with all the sincerity in the world, “I’m more than okay. And thank you for talking to me this morning.”

 

Alya raised her eyebrows as she slowly moved back, “Uh, sure, no problem. But you’re really okay?”

 

Marinette giggled and nodded, “I promise.”

 

“Did something happen?” Adrien looked with concern at Marinette, and her heart started fluttering again. Of course Adrien would be worried about her. He was a nice guy. A nice, funny, smart guy that Marinette had never actually taken the time to get to know. And for that, she was a little sad, but not sad enough to stop smiling at him. If anything, she was more hopeful now that she could actually think straight around him.

 

“Nothing really. Should we get to class?” Marinette looked from Adrien to Nino and finally settled on Alya, who tried to find some sort of pain in Marinette eye’s but found nothing but enthusiasm.

 

“Yeah…” Alya said hesitantly. But when Marinette’s small smile never faltered, Alya decided to let the whole thing go. If Marinette could be happy, then she could be happy too.

 

As they walked, Nino and Alya started up one of their usual conversations. They were loud and giggly, which only made Marinette smile more. The two ended up walking next to each other, leaving Adrien to walk behind them and Marinette to walk ahead. A moment later, though, Marinette looked over to see that Adrien had caught up to her.

 

“You seem to be in a good mood,” Adrien commented, grinning at her like they’d been friends forever, which only gave Marinette more confidence.

 

She nodded and let out a small laugh, “Yeah, I guess I am.”

 

When they got to class, Adrien let her in first, and then followed behind. When they were all sitting, he turned around to face her, “I’m glad, because I really like your smile.”

 

Marinette blushed slightly and smiled again, “Thank you, Adrien.”

 

Class started, but neither Marinette nor Alya was looking at the board. They were looking at each other, Alya gazing proudly at her best friend.

 

Classes didn’t seem to drag on like they usually did. Marinette’s newfound drive took her through her classes with ease, and before she knew it, the class before lunch ended.

 

Rather than nerves, excitement suddenly surged through her veins at the sound of the bell. She found herself quickly stuffing things into her backpack without rhyme or reason. The goodbyes classmates sent her way were met with rushed replies. Mari was a blur out the door, leaving the others behind as she quickly walked down the hallway.

 

A hand reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her back to the lockers. Marinette was confused by the sudden stop, and almost angry that someone had come between her and her rushed movements. But when her eyes met Alya’s, an amused expression spread over Alya’s face, the slight anger dissipated.

 

“Hey,” Mari was out of breath, which just made the amusement on Alya’s face grow so much that she chuckled.

 

“You in a hurry?” Alya asked, dropping her hand from Marinette’s wrist.

 

“Kind of,” Marinette laughed at herself. The excitement was still there, and it was riveting. Part of her thought she had to rush to the music room before her confidence realized which body it was in and left to find a more suitable host. But no, she was still bubbling with thoughts of what could be once she reached the music room, the piano, and Adrien.

 

Nino’s scoff forced Marinette to look at him. She hadn’t even realized he was standing next to Alya, and the sudden realization made her look at her surroundings. They were standing in front of Alya’s classroom, outside of the stream of students all rushing to get to lunch. Nino had beads of sweat on his forehead to suggest that he had been rushing to get somewhere too. Marinette smiled between them as the image of Nino all but running to meet Alya at her class came to mind.

 

“Why would you be in a hurry to get to the library?” Nino looked disgusted at Marinette, shaking his head lightly at the thought of _wanting_ to study. He knew Marinette was a pretty smart girl, as she always seemed to get better than average grades and always turned her homework in on time. Ugh, what a concept. But the smile on Marinette’s face as she raced to get to the library, as if there was going to be a mile long line of people all waiting to get their hands on a book, made Nino more puzzled than ever.

 

Nino wondered then if Marinette was good at puzzles, but that was a question that would have to wait.

 

Marinette shrugged, “Gotta get those good grades. You know, physics and such. I’ll see you guys later!” She grinned and walked away at a more appropriate pace, a skip in her step that only someone watching her could notice. So, Nino and Alya did.

 

“What a weirdo,” Alya said, though she was smiling at Marinette’s shrinking figure.

 

“Uh…” Nino furrowed his eyebrows toward the way Marinette had gone, and then turned to look at Alya, “That’s not the way to the library.”

 

Alya stared at Nino for a moment, her smile growing into a grin before she burst into laughter.

 

“What? Oh my God, what is happening,” Nino watched Alya raise a hand to her mouth to stifle the laughter. He was even more confused now.

 

“Nothing, Nino, let’s just get to our table, okay?”

 

Nino grinned at that, “ _Our_ table?”

 

Alya rolled her eyes and walked away, Nino having to jog a bit to keep pace with the ever-confident girl.

 

Marinette, her own confidence still shining through the stars in her eyes, walked as calmly as she could to the music room. She stopped in front of the door just as she had the first morning she discovered Adrien and took a much needed deep breath. She could feel Tikki pressing her body into Marinette’s thigh for comfort.

 

She paused a moment more to listen to the music that Adrien had already started creating. She recognized it slightly, but not well enough to name it. She bounced a little bit in place at the thought of asking him the name of the song, of being able to discuss with him how he’d gotten so good and listening to all of the knowledge about music he had acquired over the years. Because from the sound of it, he knew a lot.

 

With a small smile and another push from Tikki, she walked past the open door and into the room. It was weird, being inside finally. She had been in the music room before, of course, but this was different. Over the last few days, Marinette had accidentally put the music room on the same pedestal that held Adrien himself because anything Adrien did and any place he’d been to was above her.

 

But not anymore.

 

Marinette was standing in the same room as Adrien, listening to his playing with her heart open as wide as the door.

 

Marinette cleared her throat quietly and jumped a little at how abruptly Adrien stopped playing the piano. She noticed how quickly his posture shifted, from easy-going and loose to stiff and rigid. His hands, which had been so perfectly gliding across the keys, shook above the notes he had stopped at.

 

Of all the reactions she had been expecting, this was not one of them. The abruptness of his actions told her that she had violently interrupted him, and it made her want to leave. She wished almost instantly that she could take her throat clear back, that she was once again standing just before the open door, but it was too late.

 

And anyway, wasn’t this what Marinette wanted? She wanted to get his attention, at least for a little while, and share his talent without stealing. She wanted to talk, to hang out, and to do that she needed to interrupt him.

 

The shaking hands, however, told her that maybe her interruption wasn’t so welcome.

 

Adrien turned around, gripping the piano bench for support. His mouth was slightly open, and his eyes were wider than usual. He almost looked scared, though Marinette couldn’t understand why.

 

But then, in an instant, the fear in his eyes was gone, and it was replaced with something even more devastating. Disappointment.

 

His shoulders slumped slightly and he nodded at the girl that he obviously hadn’t been expecting, “Hey, Marinette,” his voice was more monotonous than usual, and he spoke to her with only half interest in what her reply would be.

 

It all hit Marinette like a train. Her confidence was ripped from her like an umbrella during a windy day. She was left uncovered in the rain, soaking wet as she waited for someone to rescue her, but no one came this time.

 

She tried to grasp at any remaining positivity that could have forgotten to leave after that blow, but there was nothing to keep her from falling deep into herself again.

 

She swallowed hard and glanced away, trying to find something to distract her from the uninterested eyes of the boy she valued so much, “I-I’m sorry to interrupt. Please, get back to whatever you were playing.”

 

Without looking at him again, Marinette turned away from Adrien and started walking back out the door. She grimaced at her own stupidity. Any self-assurance she had built up that morning was gone, and all that was left was a self-depreciating Marinette who dug too deep into her flaws. One flaw, which she repeatedly threw at herself, was her belief that everything could work out if she just believed in it.

She had vigorously thought that if she just trusted herself and her abilities that she’d be able to make it through a lunch with Adrien. But she had foolishly forgotten that it takes two people to have a conversation, and an uninterested partner could be her downfall.

 

As soon as she was out the door, Marinette was going to run. She didn't know where she'd go because she sure as hell wasn’t going to face Alya after she had talked her mood up so much that morning. Maybe she’d run straight home, ask her parents to call the school for her, and retreat into her room for the day.

 

Yet, his voice was all it took to wipe away all of her plans. She hated her body for being so willing to stop at his words, but her name sounded so good coming from his lips.

 

“Marinette, please, don’t go. I’m sorry,” Adrien’s voice sounded softer than it had just moments before. The tone was what made Marinette turn around again and meet his gaze, though her head told her it would be best just to break herself away and leave. She had tried, like Alya asked, and failed like she had originally predicted. She shouldn’t have been surprised or disappointed in herself, as this was what she’d expected. This was all she could expect of herself.

 

“Would you like to sit with me?” He actually sounded hopeful, which made Marinette have to hold in a sigh. Something about this boy just kept pulling her back, even after countless times of telling herself that there really wasn’t anything special about him. He was just a boy at her school who she talked to on very rare occasions. A boy that had an incredible life way outside of her life’s domain. But at the core, Adrien wasn’t unlike any other boy at her school. Like everyone else, he just wanted friends; just wanted to fit in.

 

So maybe she was blowing her feelings for him out of proportion, and maybe she more so needed to give Adrien the benefit of the doubt than she did herself. He was expecting someone else, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t equally like to have her as company.

 

She sighed, but it was small enough so only she could hear. It was a symbolic release of the negativities she drowned herself in every day, and she immediately felt lighter afterward. She was going to spend this time with Adrien, if not for herself than for him. The hopefulness in his voice had told her more than any kind smile had ever told her. Maybe he didn’t need her, per se, but he needed someone, and she had made herself that someone by willingly walking into the music room.

 

“I’d love to,” she smiled at him, the visible relief that flashed across his face not going unnoticed by her.

 

As Marinette neared the bench, Adrien moved to one side to make room for her and watched as she sat down. Any disappointment that had been on his face was replaced with his usual soft smile, and Marinette found it easier to get back into her confidence now that the Adrien she was expecting had made an appearance.

 

“You decided against the library today?” He stared at the keys, deciding not the play while they opened up their conversation. Though he had certainly not anticipated Marinette being the one to walk through the door, he still enjoyed talking to her. She was so easy to be around, even when she barely spoke and stuttered when she did. It was obvious to him that Marinette was uneasy around him most of the time, but regardless, her presence always had a way of making him feel calm. Almost like he could spill all of his secrets to her and know with confidence that she’d never tell another soul. Talking with her, even for only a few seconds at a time, was like talking to a childhood best friend.

 

Marinette laughed like what he said was an inside joke, “I guess you could say I was more drawn to your playing than to studying.”

 

Adrien smiled, instinctively setting his fingers on top of the keys again at the mention of his playing, “You were listening?”

 

“Oh yeah. How could I not? You’re amazing at it,” she said softly, nervous suddenly at her forward compliment.  

 

“Thanks. I’ve been playing for a few years.”

 

Adrien realized quite suddenly that this was the first time he had ever talked about playing piano with anyone other than Plagg, who never paid much attention anyway. He had always kept it to himself, not so much because he wanted to but because he had to, and the compliment from Marinette released a lot of tension he hadn’t realized was there.

 

He actually had someone to share his interests with, and that was the most exciting thing Adrien could have ever dreamed of.

 

Ladybug was forgotten, and instead, Adrien turned his full attention to Marinette.

 

“What were you playing? Before I interrupted,” light redness grew on her cheeks at the mention of her interruption, but Adrien kept talking as if her walking in on him was nothing.

 

“It’s called Nocturne by Frédéric Chopin. Maybe you’ve heard it in a movie or something? It’s super popular. _He’s_ super popular. He wrote over 200 compositions throughout his career, which is just incredible. I’d love to learn all of them,” he laughed shyly, “but that’s probably impossible. I know a few others besides Nocturne, but Nocturne is probably my favorite.

 

“It has this happiness to it that I think people sometimes underestimate. It’s supposed to be romantic and dramatic, and that’s how it’s usually used in movies, but I think the drama is way overplayed. It sounds way more uplifting and calming to me than dramatic. Romantic, sure, but in a way that’s not forced.

 

“It’s like,” Adrien shook his head, staring at the keys again as he tried to find words to describe something he never had to describe before, “You’re with this person that just puts you at ease, that calms every part of you. A sunny atmosphere follows them wherever they go and you’re lucky enough to be in their presence. They could be your best friend or something more, but being with them is enough regardless of the label. Nocturne is that feeling to me…finally being at peace thanks to this one person.”

 

Adrien blinked a few times before he looked back up at Marinette, a growing blush on his cheeks, “Sorry, I get overly excited about sharing stuff like this.”

 

Marinette shook her head and smiled at him, “I’d love to hear more.”

 

Adrien laughed and shook his head, “You don’t want to hear me ramble anymore.”

 

Marinette laughed as well, “You _do_ ramble. I didn’t know that about you, but I quite like it. You’re really…passionate.”

 

“Yeah, but it’s easy to be passionate about something you’ve been doing for eleven years.”

 

Marinette’s eyes widened at the number, “Eleven? Gosh, Adrien. You really know your stuff.”

 

Adrien blushed again, not used to someone talking his talents up, “I had a really good teacher.”

 

Marinette lightly put her fingers on some of the keys in front of her, “I’d love to learn,” she said, more to herself than to Adrien.

 

“Yeah?” Adrien grinned, “I could teach you!”

 

Marinette blinked up at the boy with a shocked expression, “I...you really don’t have to do that,” she shook her head.

 

“It wouldn’t be a burden, Marinette. I want to. As long as you’re okay with it,” he smiled warmly at her, forcing Marinette to nod in agreeance. She could never say no to that smile.

 

“Good! We’ll start right now. And since you happened to join me on the day of my Nocturne obsession, I think it’s only fitting that that be your first song.”

 

“Woah there, that song’s pretty complicated,” Marinette shook her head, “I really don’t think—“

 

“The first thirty seconds is really easy! And I’ll just teach you the higher notes while I play the lower notes.”

 

“I don’t know…” Marinette stared down at the keys as if they were the inanimate object version of Chloe Bourgeois.

 

“Just try it, okay? And if it doesn’t work out, we can move onto something else,” Adrien wasn’t even looking at her as he said this, instead looking down at the keys as well but with more adoration than fear. He wasn’t aware that very similar words had already been spoken to her earlier, and they were the reason she was there in the first place. Now, they were the reason she agreed to his proposal.

 

It never hurt to try.

 

She watched Adrien play through the first thirty seconds, her eyes more trained on his right hand, as it was playing the notes that she’d soon try to replicate. In Adrien’s defense, it did look fairly simple to follow, though Marinette was sure her opinion would change as soon as it was her turn.

 

When it _was_ her turn, Marinette felt more lost than she had been while watching Adrien. She didn’t even know where to start or what to do, but Adrien very quickly came to her rescue. He held her hand gently in his and directed her fingers toward the keys she was supposed to be on. He worked on just teaching her the part rather than playing his own, slowly guiding her to each note until it was over.

 

They did this twice more, slightly quicker each time as Marinette slowly learned the movements. She tried her best to focus on the song rather than the skin on skin contact she was having with Adrien, but every few moments she found her mind wandering to the delicate way in which he was handling her.

 

After the third time, Adrien let go of Marinette’s hand, much to Marinette’s disappointment, and only offered limited assistance as she tried for the first time on her own. It took a few more tries, and she surely wasn’t perfect at it yet, but she did well enough that the song was recognizable.

 

With his hands readied over the keys that would supply the other part of the song, he glanced at Marinette with an excited and slightly proud expression, “ready?”

 

Marinette nodded, feeling more pressure than she ought to considering there were absolutely no consequences should she mess up, and began the song with the first note. Adrien came in a second later, playing his part, as Marinette concentrated on continuing hers. She messed up once but moved on without stopping because Adrien didn’t seem to notice. Or he did, but he chose to ignore it. Now knowing Adrien’s history with piano, Marinette was sure it was the latter.

 

 When the only part of the song Marinette knew was over, she took her hand from the keys and let out a breath she had been holding in. Her eyes widened at the sudden touch of Adrien’s hand on her shoulder. When she looked at him, he was grinning widely down at her.

 

“That was great, Mari!”

 

Marinette blushed at the nickname and the compliment, smiling shyly back, “I messed up a few times, though.”

 

“But for your first time? Marinette, that was so good! Soon you’ll know the whole song by heart, I know it.”

 

“I’m not sure I’ll be able to teach myself the rest of the song,” She shook her head, “But thank you.”

 

“Who said you’d have to teach yourself?” Adrien laughed, “I said I’d be your teacher, right?”

 

“But…you use this time to practice.”

 

Adrien shrugged, “I don’t need the practice. And once the competition is over, I’ll just be able to play for fun whenever.”

 

“Teaching me would be fun for you?” Marinette stared up with disbelief, surprised that Adrien would be so generous. But, after thinking about it, Marinette wasn’t very surprised at all. Adrien was just that nice of a person that he’d give up hours to help someone else.

 

“Absolutely! I’d love to teach you how to play. And then maybe we can eventually play duets!” He grinned with excitement, and Marinette could tell that he truly was excited. It was contagious.

 

Marinette grinned back and nodded, “Okay! Thanks so much, Adrien.”

 

“The pleasure is all mine, Mari.”

 

A very annoying and abrupt sound came from Adrien’s phone then, reminding him once again that lunch was ending soon and he’d better make his way to the lunch table if he wanted to see his friends at all. He remembered setting that alarm the first day, having thought that those last fifteen minutes every day were going to be the only time he’d get to be with friends for a week straight. But now, he was planning on spending an hour each day with one of those friends, and it was _Marinette_.

 

The girl he had originally thought was too afraid to breathe regularly around him now wanted to spend alone time with him. Suddenly, the spots on his fingertips that had touched Marinette’s hand started to tingle in remembrance of the contact.

 

To take his mind off of the new, strange feeling that had decided to take up residence in his heart, Adrien turned off his alarm and stood from the bench, grabbing his backpack and slinging it over his back in one swoop. When he looked back, he saw that Marinette had stood as well, and was just waiting for him to lead the way.

 

They walked to the lunch table in silence, though it was a happy and comfortable silence. When they took their spots next to Alya and Nino, the two stared at them and shared a look with smug and knowing expressions. Both Adrien and Marinette chose to ignore the exchange, though they both also smiled to themselves.

 

That feeling stayed with Adrien for the rest of the day and followed him home. It was a feeling he couldn’t quite pinpoint, but he chose not to question it.

 

When he was safely in his room, Adrien’s kwami zoomed out of his shirt pocket and danced around the open space with freedom. He settled on Adrien’s desk moments later, digging into a piece of cheese he had left that morning.

 

“You’re disgusting,” Adrien shook his head, but the tone of his criticism was lighter than usual since he was still riding out the feeling from school.

 

Plagg snorted, “I’m disgusting? You should have heard yourself. All day. First, it was the ‘I like your smile’ line and then it was the sickening excitement you felt around her,” he rolled his eyes, “disgusting.”

 

Adrien narrowed his eyes at the little cat as he sat down on his bed, “What are you talking about?”

 

“Ha!” Plagg laughed with a mouthful of cheese, “You don’t even realize it! And the best part is I totally saw this coming. As soon as you met the girl I knew you’d fall for her.”

 

“Who? Marinette?”

 

“ _Who_? _Marinette_?” Plagg mocked and laughed again, throwing his little head back without shame.

 

Adrien glared at him, “Plagg, seriously.”

 

Plagg rolled his eyes again and took another bite before he continued, much to Adrien’s aversion, “You like the girl. It’s obvious.”

 

Adrien rolled his eyes and shook his head, “I don’t like Marinette. I mean, I like her, but not like that. She’s just a friend.”

 

“Uhuh, for right now. Mark my words, buddy. A few more ‘lessons,’” he snickered at the word, “and you’re gonna be eating up every word she says like it’s camembert.”

 

Adrien grimaced, “Unlikely.”

 

“Okay, fine, pretend like you felt nothing after being with her for an hour. That’s fine. I surely don’t care,” he took another huge bite out of the cheese, comically stuffing his cheeks.

 

It wasn’t that Adrien felt _nothing_ when he was with Marinette. He liked her a lot and valued her friendship more than he could ever tell her. But when he compared her to Ladybug, not that that was fair to Marinette, as Ladybug was a superhero, he couldn’t help but put his lady above her.

 

Adrien pushed the thought of falling for Marinette to the side as he worked on homework and lounged around. It wasn’t something he was going to worry over, especially since he hardly believed it would happen.

 

When it came time to transform into Chat Noir and meet his lady for another patrol, he had forgotten the conversation with Plagg like it never happened.  He could only think about, and only wanted to think about, Ladybug.

 

He grinned as soon as she touched down on top of their usual meeting place. He knew they’d actually have to work this time, as their last patrol was spent sitting on the rooftop and chatting.

 

“My Lady,” he bowed to her in his usual fashion, earning a small but sweet laugh from Ladybug. When he stood up straight again, he saw that her expression was light and airy. She had a presence about her that he had only seen a few times before; she bounced with each step and a smile never left her face.

 

“Why, Bugaboo, I sure am loving your cattitude today,” he grinned at her, expecting to elicit a negative response. When she laughed and rolled her eyes at his pun, he stepped away in surprise.

 

“Keep saying stuff like that and I might get catty with you,” she wiggled her eyebrows at him, amusement shining in her eyes after his own widened.

 

Chat paused before his whole face seemed to burst with happiness. He was smiling wider than he ever had, slowly taking steps toward Ladybug again, “I’m so proud,” he wiped a fake tear from his dry eyes, though his smile never wavered. He was too happy to even fake sadness.

 

“Yeah, yeah,” she rolled her eyes, but she too kept smiling, “Let’s get patrolling.”

 

The two bounded from rooftop to rooftop, stopping every so often to survey areas and check on strange noises. Of course, nothing was really out of the ordinary. Hawk Moth had seemed to be taking a break because there hadn’t been an akuma attack in several days. But that only meant he’d come back stronger, and the duo needed to be ready.

 

They searched through the city for two hours, circling back to their spot by 10pm.

 

Ladybug was usually the first to call it a night, but she instead stood at the edge of the roof and stared off into the distance. With her eyes closed, a small smile returned to her lips as she basked in the slight warmth of that night.

  
Chat hesitantly came to stand next to her, unsure if he’d be interrupting something. When he had been standing with her for a few moments, Ladybug turned to look at him.

 

“Would you like to stay for another hour? It feels very nice out here.”

 

Chat nodded more eagerly than he meant to, which made Ladybug laugh lightly. She slowly sat down on the edge, and Chat soon followed.

 

Chat really hoped this new thing between them would stick. Sitting with Ladybug, even in the silence, had been making his days so much better. And after the good day he’d had, Ladybug’s company made him feel like he was flying.

 

His time spent with Marinette at lunch had made him completely forget about Ladybug’s possible appearance. He still knew she went to his school, and he knew that he’d eventually want to find her, but he was okay with giving that up for now. He had the best of both worlds, really. At school, his friendship with Marinette was flourishing, and at night, his relationship with Ladybug was blossoming into something more personal.

 

So it surprised him when Ladybug began humming the song he had played only a few times earlier that day. Nocturne flowed from her lips, creating the romantic and easy-going atmosphere that he had imagined it would. He hadn’t realized, having been lost in her sound, that she was also playing some of the notes with her hand against the bricks of the roof.

 

It was as if, he noticed, she knew how to play it.

 

“You know how to play a piano?” he looked at her curiously, his heart beating faster at the possibility of having something civilian-like in common with his lady.

 

Ladybug laughed and shook her head, “No, no, not at all. That boy who plays piano taught me how to play the beginning part. I suck at it, but it’s fun,” she shrugged.

 

Chat’s mouth went dry. He nodded to get Ladybug’s stare off of him, which worked. She went back to staring into the distance and humming again, unknowingly having just shared a momentous piece of information with her partner.

 

Chat Noir slowly connected the dots as he too stared out onto Paris.

 

If the boy Ladybug heard playing was him, and Ladybug was getting lessons from the boy, and he was giving lessons to Marinette, then…

 

Plagg was wrong. He didn’t like Marinette.

 

It seemed he was in love with her.


	4. Little Star

Adrien, above everything he was feeling that night, was upset with himself. And for several reasons.

 

Firstly, He was upset that he hadn’t noticed the striking similarities between Ladybug and Marinette. Maybe, he thought, it was because Marinette’s bravery and heroism had never really been directed toward him, but his classmates. Whereas Ladybug’s bravery and heroism was something he was exposed to every time they met up. In his defense, Marinette hardly talked to him until just a few days beforehand. She did everything she could to make herself invisible around him. She sat behind him, for goodness sakes, but never talked to him for longer than a few seconds.

 

Adrien sighed, now in his room after telling Ladybug that he had to get home. She looked a little disappointed, which _killed_ him, but he knew he couldn’t be around her for any longer without bombarding her with clarifying questions that would only upset her.

 

The beautiful scenery now just looked dark with secrets. Adrien stood in front of one of his windows, staring off in the general direction of his and Ladybug’s meeting place. A place that used to fill him with warmth now chilled his blood. He felt like he could breathe out and see a cloud of breath with how cold he felt. But when he took a deep breath out, just to try it, the cloudless exhale steamed up the window and blocked his view.

 

Adrien closed his eyes, going into himself for a moment in the hopes of finding his true feelings on the events of that night before he came to the surface again empty handed. Mindlessly, Adrien walked to his bed and threw himself onto it. Staring at his ceiling, he had nothing to do but think.

 

He thought of Ladybug, and then thought of Marinette, but nothing clicked. He had hoped that finding out about Ladybug’s true identity would just make sense, but it filled him up with more anger and sorrow than satisfied resolution.

 

Secondly, Adrien was upset because he still referred to Ladybug as Ladybug and Marinette as Marinette. He should see them as interchangeable, but his mind wouldn’t allow it. When the pig-tailed schoolmate came to mind, he automatically called her Marinette, and when the pig-tailed superhero came to mind, he called her Ladybug. They were different, and that angered Adrien more than he could fathom. They should be the same.

 

But they weren’t.

 

Thirdly, he was angry because of just how different the two women seemed in his mind. They were different, though technically they weren’t, but they _were_.

 

_But they weren’t._

 

Adrien’s mind was flooded with conflict. _They’re not the same people, yes they are, no they’re not, yes they are, NO THEY’RE NOT._

 

Adrien growled in the silence of his room, and then realized it hadn’t truly been silent. Plagg had been eating and making small little noises that Adrien hadn’t realized because he was so used to them, but once they stopped he was reminded just how quiet the world could be.

 

“You okay, Buddy?” Plagg was closer now, just by Adrien’s ear. When Adrien didn’t reply, Plagg flew up and invaded Adrien’s view of the ceiling. His expression was uncharacteristically soft, which only caused Adrien to fall deeper into himself. His was worrying his best friend, and he was worrying himself.

 

“Adrien?” Plagg spoke quietly at Adrien’s blank stare. As Adrien sat up, he breathed a quiet sigh of relief and moved out of the way.

 

“How can I still not get it?” Adrien shook his head, “I should be ecstatic, Plagg. I know who Ladybug is. I know her identity, finally—”

 

Plagg coughed, “Wait, what?”

 

“—but it doesn’t mean anything, Plagg, because I’m just more confused! This should have cleared everything up but my mind is only muddier.”

 

Plagg flew into his direct vision again, interrupting Adrien’s view of the window, “You found out Ladybug’s identity?”

 

“It’s Marinette,” Adrien said quietly, going through a whole range of emotions again at the name.

“Mari-who?” Plagg squinted his eyes, trying hard to remember anyone but falling short.

 

“This lovely, beautiful, funny, brave girl in my class,” Adrien closed his eyes, opening them again when Plagg’s voice cut through his thickening, dark thoughts.

 

“She sounds great! Now you can stop moaning about your undying love for Ladybug,” he snickered, but his face fell again at the sight of Adrien’s new expression.

 

Adrien didn’t feel good. He had thought, so stubbornly, that the reveal of Ladybug’s identity would make sense. But it didn’t.

 

 “I don’t really love her,” Adrien covered his mouth as he felt the tears begin to form.

 

“What do you mean?” Plagg’s voice was hesitant, his expression soft again.

 

“I thought I loved her. I thought I knew her, but I only know Ladybug as well as I know Marinette. Her favorite color is pink,” he laughed darkly, “that’s all I know.”

 

“Are you really having that hard of a time with this? Shouldn’t you be…” Plagg trailed off, searching his charge’s face for anything to go off of.

 

“Happy?” Adrien finished for him, “I should be, but I’m not.”

 

“Are you…disappointed?” Plagg cocked his head.

Adrien swallowed hard, “No,” he shook his head, “I care about Marinette very much. And the fact that my partner is also my friend from school is great.”

 

“Then what is it?”

 

Adrien couldn’t answer Plagg because he hadn’t figured that out yet. 

 

Lastly, Adrien was upset that the identity reveal had made him love Ladybug less. So much less, in fact, that Adrien realized that he hadn’t loved Ladybug at all. His once intense feelings had been reverted back into a measly crush. The force of being flung so many steps back in his relationship with Ladybug left him lightheaded.

 

Marinette was not the problem. Adrien truly liked Marinette, so much so that he was beginning to have a crush on her after their first lesson in piano that day.

 

 _That_ was the problem. Adrien only had a crush on Marinette, so of course he couldn’t be in love with Ladybug. Because, as much as it still didn’t make sense in Adrien’s mind, Marinette and Ladybug were the same people. Just as Adrien was still Chat deep down, even without the mask, Marinette had Ladybug inside of her somewhere.

 

Knowing that Ladybug was really Marinette and still trying to convince himself that he was in love with her felt wrong. He hardly knew Marinette. How could he be in love with her?

 

And this was the source of Adrien’s break down. He was so ready to accept that he didn’t love Marinette because he didn’t know her, but he had gone years thinking he loved Ladybug while knowing _even less_ about her. It was unfair, it was wrong, and it made him sick.

 

“I don’t know Ladybug at all,” he answered Plagg finally, “I’ve spent the past few years idolizing Ladybug instead of actually loving her. And…” Adrien choked on his words, “she doesn’t deserve that. She doesn’t deserve _me_.”

 

“Woah there,” Plagg flew closer to Adrien’s face, “That’s not true. You’re jumping to conclusions, Adrien. Maybe…maybe that’s true…maybe you have been idolizing her a bit more than you should have.”

 

Adrien flinched away.

 

“But that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to get to know her now!” Plagg continued, “You’ve been given a great opportunity, actually. You say Marinette goes to your school?”

 

Adrien nodded, only half listening as his mind continued to race with self-doubt.

 

“Then get to know Marinette!”

 

Adrien blinked, looking more confused than ever, “How is that supposed to solve anything?”

 

Plagg scoffed, “Are you serious? Boy, you really need to get this through your head. Ladybug is Marinette. Marinette is Ladybug. They’re the same people!” Plagg’s eyes grew wide as he tried so hard to explain it to Adrien without getting upset at how slow he was being. But, considering how long it took him to figure out Ladybug’s identity, maybe his slowness shouldn’t have been shocking.

 

“And…”

 

“Adrien,” Plagg sighed, “If you get to know Marinette, you’ll get to know Ladybug. Because I’m sure they have the same interest. You know, _because it’s the same girl_.”

 

Adrien blinked a few times before his eyes widened, “Oh.”

 

“There it is,” Plagg rolled his eyes and flew away, back to Adrien’s desk and back to his cheese.

 

“Ladybug isn’t going to tell me anything about herself, but Marinette will,” the angst from Adrien’s face slowly dissipated and was replaced with a small smile, “I can finally get to know my Lady.”

 

“Do you like this girl? Marinette?” Plagg said with a full mouth.

 

Adrien thought about it again for a moment before nodding slowly, “I think I do. She actually talked to me today, and I’m teaching her piano, and she’s just so…nice. So good. I made her laugh a few times and it was more beautiful than the music,” Adrien’s voice had taken up a dreamy tone as he remembered earlier that day.

 

Adrien was not in love Marinette, but he did like her. He had felt something in his chest after hanging out with Marinette. His fingers tingled at the absence of her touch when lunch was over. He didn’t know exactly how much he liked Marinette, but he knew that he did like her. And maybe, Adrien thought with another smile, truly liking Marinette for who she was was enough to make up for his idolization of Ladybug. Maybe now, because he had access to the real girl, he could truly fall in love with Ladybug.

 

Because “Marinette is Ladybug,” Adrien whispered it to himself, but the disbelief and confusion that had been in his voice at the first realization was gone, and it was replaced with the happiness he had been hoping for.

 

“Duh,” Plagg rolled his eyes.

 

If only Marinette had talked to him earlier.

 

Although, it wasn’t like he had taken any initiative either. Adrien had always wanted to be Marinette’s friend, but he never tried to get close to her. The few times they talked to each other just proved to him that they’d be good friends, but every time Marinette realized who she was talking to, she had freaked out and gotten away from Adrien as quickly as possible. Still, Adrien should have tried.

 

This wasn’t Marinette’s fault at all. If anything, it was his. He should have identified her hesitation and apprehension sooner and done something to appease it. He should have made an effort to be her friend because he wasn’t the one scared of getting closer.

 

Adrien quickly stood up from his bed and grabbed Plagg mid-bite. He stared intently at his Kwami with more determination than he’d had in a very long time, “I’m going to be Marinette’s best friend.”

 

“Okay, cool,” Plagg wriggled in Adrien’s hold, “I don’t care. Let me goooo.”

 

Adrien set him back down on the desk with a grin before sitting down in his desk chair. He took a piece of paper and a pen and wrote in big letters: STEPS TO FRIENDSHIP.

 

Plagg flew up to him and watched over Adrien’s shoulder, “Uh…what are you doing?” A piece of camembert dropped from Plagg’s hand and down Adrien’s shirt but Adrien didn’t even flinch. Plagg, however, whimpered at his loss.

 

“I’m making a plan. I have to approach this strategically so as not to scare Marinette away. I can’t be too intense, you know?” He turned around in his chair to look eagerly at Plagg.

 

“I honestly don’t know.”

 

“Marinette is timid around me. For what reason, I’m not sure, but it’s reason enough that I have to be careful. I can’t go from being an acquaintance to flirting with her like Chat does with Ladybug.

 

“I mean,” He grinned, “I’m gonna build up to that, but I can’t do anything before she’s comfortable with me, too.”

 

Adrien turned back around in his chair, and then wrote STEP ONE below the title.

 

“Okay…so what’s step one?” Plagg asked, getting closer to see.

 

“Shh!” Adrien hissed, “I’m thinking.”

 

STEP ONE: Encouragement, touching, and jokes.

 

The next day, Adrien raced to the music room after the bell rang. He had packed his stuff up several minutes before class was over, missing the end of the notes that were crucial to the next test. But he’d be fine, he always was good at testing, and seeing Marinette was more important than anything in that moment.

 

 Marinette wasn’t there when he walked in, of course, because she was probably walking to meet him at a normal pace and not one that would have teachers questioning her. Adrien sighed because making it to the music room earlier than usual just meant he’d have to wait longer.

 

He took his usual seat at the piano, scooching down in preparation for a second person. He hadn’t thought about what song to teach her that day, as most of his time the night before had been spent on creating his master friendship plan to sweep Marinette off her feet. Just as friends, of course.

 

Whatever he was going to teach her, it had to be simple. Marinette didn’t know anything. But all Adrien could think of were the classics that he so often played alone. He’d never had to teach someone else. He thought back to his first class at six-years-old, and although it was hard to remember something that happened eleven years prior, Adrien could never forget his first song.

 

He smiled when he heard footsteps, and quickly turned around to greet Marinette. Her smile was slightly timid but more confident than usual. The sight of her only made Adrien’s smile turn into a grin, which caused Marinette to blush slightly.

 

“Marinette!” He watched her walk closer to him and then followed her with his eyes as she sat down next to him.

 

“Adrien,” she said it with more hesitance than Adrien had said her name, but she was smiling, telling him that she was okay with his enthusiasm. He hadn’t scared her away yet.

 

“Are we going to continue with Nocturne?” she asked him, her hands going to the keys.

 

“Nope,” Adrien shook his head, “The rest of the song is a little too advanced.”

 

“Oh,” Marinette took her hands away from the piano and looked up at Adrien, “Then what are we working on today?”

 

Adrien smirked, “I’m sure you’ve heard of it. It’s called Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.”

 

Marinette’s mouth opened, but she shut it quickly after, “Really?”

 

Adrien laughed at her expression, “Yeah! It’s the song I learned when I first started. It’s only fitting that I pass it down.”

 

“But how old were you?”

 

“Six.”

 

“Six! Adrien! Isn’t there something, I don’t know, a little more fitting to our age for me to learn?”

 

Adrien rolled his eyes and began to play the notes to the song, “Nope. This is it.”

 

Her face fell, and she turned to stare at the keys, “That’s not impressive at all.”

 

“What, are you doing this just to impress others? Marinette…” he clicked his tongue in mock disapproval, “And here I thought you were doing it to spend time with me,” he smirked as Marinette blushed a deep red, but then grimaced at himself. No flirting. Not yet.

 

Marinette turned back to Adrien, her blush still very clear for Adrien to see, “I-I suppose Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is okay. As long as…” she cleared her throat, “As long as you help me play like you did yesterday.”

 

Adrien’s first response was to automatically agree because of course he was going to help her, he was her teacher after all. But then he remembered just how he had helped her, and how much he touched her hand the day before.

 

Was Marinette flirting back?

 

Adrien grinned and nodded, taking her hand gently in his while Marinette’s blush turned back to a scarlet red, “Of course, Mari. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

 

Adrien guided Marinette through the song, just as he had the day before, though it was much faster this time considering just how simple the song was. Marinette quickly got it down and was able to play all the way through the song only twenty minutes into their lunch.

 

When Marinette finished playing, she dropped her hand from the piano and smiled to herself.

 

“See?” Adrien smiled down at her and bumped her shoulder affectionately, “Even a song like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star can be an accomplishment.”

 

Marinette rolled her eyes, causing Adrien to laugh, “I guess, but I would like to learn some more complicated stuff.”

 

Adrien shrugged, “You’ll get there. You’ve still got eleven years before you get to my level,” he grinned.

 

“Wow,” Marinette pushed him back, “Someone’s cocky.”

 

Adrien chuckled, “I think you mean talented.”

 

Marinette shook her head with a small smile, “I guess you’re pretty talented.”

 

“Well,” Adrien smiled back, “I’m just lucky to have a willing student.”

 

Marinette blushed for the third time since lunch began, but she didn’t try to hide it that time. There was something about Adrien’s expression, something new, which kept her from shying away. It was a comforting expression, one that told her he was genuinely happy to have her there, and it washed away any lingering doubt that had stuck with her from the day before.

 

“I suppose we should get to Nino and Alya? Since we’re finished early…” Marinette spoke after the two had been staring at each other for a moment too long.

 

Adrien seemed to snap out of it, “Yeah, sure.”

 

As they stood and gathered their backpacks, Adrien turned to her again, “Good work, by the way. On the piano. I, uh, I never learned that fast when I was first starting.”

 

Marinette rolled her eyes, slinging her backpack over her shoulder, “You were also six.”

 

Adrien laughed and pulled her backpack strap toward him so that she had to walk closer, “I guess.”

 

“Thanks, though,” Marinette smiled up at him, now much closer than she had intended, “I really appreciate it.”

 

Adrien just nodded because he couldn’t pull himself from her bluer than blue eyes long enough to form anything coherent. They started walking, and he faced ahead of him, but his brain continued to remind him of the sparkle in her eyes. They were like two stars that had shown up before the blue sky truly darkened into night, but still shined with everything they had.

 

The stars in her eyes were determined to be seen, and Adrien could have said the same thing for Marinette the more time he spent around her. Her presence was slowly becoming a staple to Adrien’s day, and he was already planning on initiating step two now that he was sure Marinette was more comfortable with him than he had figured. 

 

A patrol wouldn’t have usually been planned for that night, as they did it every other day, but Ladybug had messaged him after school to ask if he’d be okay with meeting up. Adrien typed back a quick but cool response on his baton, though he was boiling over with excitement. He was going to see Ladybug, _Marinette_ , twice that day.

 

They met at their usual time, at their usual spot. Adrien was grinning when he saw her, but his smile slowly faded at the worried expression she met him with.

 

“Is everything okay?” He walked toward her hesitantly.

 

“I’m just concerned, Chat. Hawk Moth hasn’t done anything in a few days. What if he’s planning something? And what if we’re not ready for it?” She twisted her hands together and apart again with anxiety. It took everything for Chat to keep from taking her hands in his.

 

“We’ll be ready,” Chat Noir settled for putting a soothing hand on her shoulder, though it didn’t seem to soothe her at all. To be honest with himself, Adrien was also pretty nervous. Usually, Hawk Moth did something every other day or at least every three days, but it had been several days since they’d seen the last trace of him.

 

“How can you be sure?” Ladybug’s voice was soft and vulnerable, something Chat would have been surprised to see from her had he not known she was also Marinette. She was so much more than Ladybug, and had so many more feelings that he was excited to uncover, but the anxiety he was seeing in her eyes was something he’d hoped he never had to see again. Still, her eyes were the stars, and Adrien followed them home until he felt okay again.

 

“Because we’re us,” he grinned cockily and walked closer to her. He moved his arm to drape over her shoulders.

 

Ladybug huffed and moved away from him, letting his arm fall from her shoulders, “That doesn’t help.”

 

“I believe in us, My Lady, more than I believe in anything else. We’ll get through whatever he’s going to throw at us, okay? Please don’t be afraid,” the cocky smile was gone as he looked at Ladybug with as much sincerity as he could put in an expression.

 

Ladybug crossed her arms over her chest before nodding, “Okay. I’ll believe you.”

 

Chat Noir grinned and stepped closer to her again, removing the distance she had created, “Don’t try to hide it. You know we’re good together.”

 

Ladybug rolled her eyes but didn’t move away, “We’re good _partners_ ,” she stressed the last word with an annoyed expression and squinted eyes, but it only made Chat laugh.

 

“That we are, My Lady.”

 

They settled into a comfortable silence.

 

“You know,” Ladybug looked up at him with raised eyebrows, “I called you here to patrol.”

 

Chat shrugged, “I don’t see you rushing to get it done.”

 

Ladybug mockingly glared at him, though she smiled, before looking off at Paris again, “These past few nights have been nice, even if I’ve been worried.”

 

“Yeah? I make your night?” Chat smirked at her.

 

Ladybug rolled her eyes, “That is _not_ what I said.”

 

“But that’s what you meant.”

 

Ladybug didn’t respond, but instead smiled and shook her head at the words from her overconfident partner.

 

There was silence again, and Chat almost expected her to start humming Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to fill the quiet. When she didn’t after a few minutes, he decided to ask.

 

“No new piano boy music?” he grinned at the nickname he had for himself.

 

Marinette rolled her eyes at the mention, “He taught me Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” she said with mockery.

 

Chat chuckled, “Sounds like a good song to start out with.”

 

“Pssshh,” she shook her head, “Maybe if you’re six.”

 

“Well,” he looked at her with another smirk, “You certainly act like you’re six sometimes.”

 

Ladybug’s eyes widened, looking at him in shock, “ _I_ act like I’m six? Okay, Mr. Pun.”

 

He scoffed, “It’s _Dr_. Pun to you. And Puns are not childish! No six-year-old has the wit it takes to come up with a good pun.”

 

“Yeah, and neither do you,” she smiled.

 

“My puns are excellent.”

“No pun is excellent,” she glared up at him, determined to win this fight.

 

“I bet piano boy would love my puns.”

 

Ladybug sighed, looking annoyed, “He probably would. Why do all the guys in my life like puns? What have I done to deserve this?”

 

Chat chuckled, choosing not to respond. He knew she secretly loved his puns, both as Chat Noir and as Adrien. He had caught her smiling at his jokes during fights and leisure time on several occasions, though he hardly brought it up. He was satisfied by just knowing she appreciated them.

 

And then suddenly, Chat had an idea so brilliant he had to control himself before he attacked her with too many questions. If he could use his knowledge of Ladybug’s identity to get to know Marinette, he could also use it to see how she felt about Adrien.

 

“So…” he began, trying to hide his blossoming smile, “This piano boy. Is he your friend?”

 

Ladybug smiled and nodded, “Yeah. We just recently became friends, but I think it’s going well.”

 

Chat nodded, “Is he just a friend?”

 

Ladybug looked up at him and blinked a few times, trying to think of how to answer such a loaded question.

 

Were they just friends, her and Adrien? Technically, they were just friends, but she never flirted with Nino or any other guy friend like she had flirted with Adrien just earlier that day. And it wasn’t like she started it. It was him who took them to that level of comfort. But, still, Marinette had to take into account just how friendly Adrien was. They were friends now, and there was a big possibility that he’d just been teasing her.

 

“Yes. He’s just a friend,” she nodded again.

 

“Do you like him as…” Chat swallowed before continuing, “…as more than a friend?”

 

“Um…I…” the answer, obviously, was yes. Although Marinette’s walls were now free of Adrien’s face, and her computer background had been changed to a picture of her and Alya, she still felt deep things for Adrien. And now that she was getting to know him, those feelings were only deepening. The more time she spent with him, the more she wanted to be with him.

 

As a friend, or as something more, Marinette didn’t care. She just never wanted whatever they had to end.

 

But the timidity in Chat’s expression stopped Ladybug from answering impulsively. Of course Chat would ask this question. He liked Ladybug, at least a little bit, and Ladybug knew this. He was afraid Adrien was making a move on her and that he’d lose her. And although Ladybug wasn’t Chat’s to lose, she could still feel for him. She loved Chat, though not in the same way, and she never wanted to hurt him.

 

She took a deep breath before responding, “No,” she shook her head, “Piano boy and I are only friends, and I plan on keeping it that way.”

 

It wasn’t like her and Adrien were going to get together anytime soon anyway, she assured herself. Lying to Chat now saved him from an early heartbreak. If something happened with her and Adrien down the line…sure, she’d tell Chat. But it didn’t do any good telling him so soon. 

 

Something flashed across Chat’s eyes that she hadn’t expected. She had thought Chat would have grinned, smirked even, and flirted with her in some obnoxious way. But there was something different in Chat’s expression. He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes, and it looked more strained than any smile she had ever seen him make for her.

 

“Great,” he said finally. He cleared his throat, and it was then that Ladybug realized he was slowly moving away from her, “I’d better get going. As long as we’re not still going to patrol?”

 

Ladybug shook her head, “No, I suppose we don’t have to. You have other plans?” she watched him continue to back away, suddenly concerned for him.

 

“Not really. I just have some homework to finish. So if we’re done here…” he looked away, the strain in his expression returning again.

 

He didn’t wait for her reply before jumping away, leaving Ladybug to stand alone and confused.

 

The first thing Adrien did after he dropped his transformation at home was fall back onto his bed like he had the night before.

 

He heard a sigh and then Plagg entered his view, “Not again,” The Kwami groaned.

 

“She doesn’t like me back, Plagg,” his tone was monotonous.

 

“And?”

 

Adrien glared up at him, “What do you mean _and_?”

 

“Is that the only reason you want to get to know Marinette? So that you can get with her?”

 

“What? Plagg! No!”

 

“Then what’s the problem? Does she still want to be your friend?”

 

Adrien looked away, “I guess so.”

 

“Look, Adrien,” Plagg moved so that Adrien had to look at him again, “I’m sorry she doesn’t share your feelings. That’s a bummer. But that doesn’t mean you have to get all moody again. You’ve spent years pining after Ladybug, knowing she doesn’t like you back, but that hasn’t stopped you from being her friend. And who knows, maybe Marinette doesn’t know you well enough yet. Maybe something will come of your friendship.”

 

Adrien sighed and closed his eyes, “I wasn’t planning on giving up. I’m just…tired of my crushes not liking me back. I just want someone I like to like me back, just once.”

 

“I’m sure you could get another girl…if that’s what you want…” Plagg raised his eyebrows at Adrien.

 

Adrien groaned, “No, I want Marinette. I want My Lady,” he pouted into his pillow, keeping his eyes closed.

 

“Then just be patient. She’s gotta come around sometime,” Plagg flew away, confident that his boy would be okay again.

 

“But you know what you have to do now,” Plagg said after reaching the desk.

 

Adrien lifted his head slightly and opened his eyes, “What?”

 

“This friendship plan thingy has to go. It’s not natural enough,” Plagg grabbed the piece of paper from Adrien’s desk and held it between his hands.

 

Adrien watched with horror as Plagg ripped his masterpiece in two.


	5. Second Sonata

The blackness behind Adrien’s eyelids turned a deep red as the sun shone through his curtains and landed gracefully upon his sleeping self. A strain accompanied the bright light and forced Adrien to wake up, open his eyes groggily, and stretch his limbs. Small cracks sounded from his joints as they too awakened from the stiff sleep.

 

A moment passed before Adrien felt alive enough to sit up in bed. He widened his eyes slowly to allow them time to adjust and then set his bare feet on the support attached to his bed.

 

Plagg was still deep in sleep, snoring quietly as Adrien touched down onto his carpet and walked into the bathroom. Adrien turned his shower on and smirked at the groan he heard from Plagg, obviously having awoken him with his noises.

 

Although Adrien had felt relatively calm and composed throughout the week about his future performance at his father’s competition, a growing clump of anxiety grew in his chest as he showered. Later that day, he would be in front of hundreds of successful and judgmental people, sharing a talent that so recently had been a secret.

 

If he failed, he would be failing hundreds of strangers, his father, and himself.

 

Adrien wished with every ounce of himself that he had a distraction, but the quiet of his room allowed his mind to wander into the realm of what-ifs. His Saturdays were usually filled with appointments and shoots, but his father had canceled everything that day in order to give his son ample time for last-minute practice. But really, Adrien was just given ample time to worry.

 

The difficulty of Moonlight Sonata was nothing compared to the difficulty of pleasing his father. He knew he would be able to escape into himself once he was able to play on stage, but the idea of his father watching him during this time of vulnerability made him prematurely flinch. He was always guarded in front of his father, in front of everyone really, and didn’t know how his father would react to the way a piano could tear down his walls.

 

But maybe, Adrien thought, this could be good. If his father saw him being open and honest with hundreds of strangers, maybe his father could be open and honest with Adrien. Maybe his performance would be a turning point in their relationship.

 

Adrien exited the shower and wrapped his waist in a towel. His blond hair dripped with water residue, steam rising from his body as his heat mixed with the colder air. He shivered and walked back into his room. Plagg sat on Adrien’s desk and met his presence with a glare.

 

“Good morning, Plagg,” Adrien grinned at his kwami, the glare from Plagg only fueling his smile.

 

“You are way too cheery for 9am. And thanks, by the way, for waking me up.”

 

“Why shouldn’t I be cheery? It’s the morning of my father’s competition, and the morning of our reconciliation,” Adrien grabbed his clothes and sauntered back into the bathroom to change. Before he could close the door, Plagg flew in behind him.

 

“Reconciliation?” Plagg watched him cautiously, fearing what was to come next.

 

Adrien leaned against his counter and folded his arms, “Once my father sees how prepared I am for his competition, he’s going to want to get to know me even more. We’re going to have a lot to talk about after tonight.”

 

Plagg groaned and lowered himself to float in front of Adrien, “You really think that’s going to happen?”

 

Adrien shrugged and smiled, “Yeah, sure. My father’s not _that_ horrible. He can’t ignore me forever,” it was a joke, but one that hit a little too close to Adrien’s uncertainty. His smile faltered for a moment, and when it returned it was more forced than it had been before.

 

Plagg sighed and nodded, “I hope you’re right.”

 

Plagg, of course, knew he wasn’t. He was an outsider to the borderline abusive relationship Adrien had with his father, and he could unbiasedly see how incorrect Adrien was in thinking that a performance could change anything. In the beginning, Plagg spent most of his time teasing Adrien for every little thing because that was his nature. But as the first year of their friendship passed, Plagg was able to honestly say that he knew Adrien more than anyone in the world, and his teasing became more of a life line, a static characteristic of Adrien’s life, that Adrien could hold onto when he experienced his lowest lows. It was hard for Adrien to hide his crying from Plagg when Plagg was always around, so he permanently lowered his gates for Plagg, and allowed him to see who he was behind the mask. Plagg was, without a doubt, his best friend. And because of that, Plagg was able to recognize the signs of Adrien’s oncoming despair.

 

Plagg knew Adrien would do well at the concert. He knew his father would nod approvingly at Adrien’s performance. But above all, he knew the reconciliation would stop there, and Adrien would be deeply disappointed. Plagg prepared himself for more crying, for more startling realizations from Adrien that he’d never be good enough for his father, and for the sadness he would feel from seeing his charge suffer.

 

He flew back out of the bathroom to allow Adrien some privacy as he changed. Plagg sighed, returning to his usual spot on Adrien’s desk to wait for him to come back out.

 

When Adrien did, his smile seemed brighter and less forced, as if he had assured himself again that everything would turn out alright. And although Plagg could see the imminent depression in Adrien’s future, he didn’t say anything about it. This was the calm before the storm, and he’d let Adrien have whatever happiness he could get his hands on.

 

“Let me guess,” Plagg played with his tail absentmindedly as he watched Adrien make his bed, “You’re not going to practice before the show.”

 

Adrien smiled at his kwami, “I don’t need to. I’ve got it down.”

 

Plagg snorted, “I think I might be rubbing off on you.”

 

Adrien chuckled and patted his friend lightly on the head, “I’m not sure that’s a good thing.”

 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Are you just going to lay around all day? Please say yes. Then I’ll know for sure I’ve corrupted you.”

 

“Nope,” Adrien stood in front of Plagg with a grin, “We’re going to go see Marinette.”

 

Plagg groaned, falling back against the desk with a thud, “Does that mean I have to transform you?”

 

“Yep! We’ll be going as Chat Noir.”

 

Plagg picked only his head up to look at Adrien, “But why? Aren’t you finally friends with her as Adrien? Can’t you let me rest?”

 

Adrien took Plagg’s whining as a joke and laughed easily, earning a glare from Plagg, “After my little episode last night, I need to let her know that I’m okay. Er, that Chat’s okay.”

 

Plagg groaned again, but knew he was on the losing end of the battle. After discovering Ladybug’s identity, Marinette became the only thing Adrien would talk about. He went on and on about her late into the night, and Plagg could have sworn he heard him mutter her name in his sleep. Of course he’d want to see her.

 

“We’re not going now are we?” Plagg finally sat up again, a dramatic look of anguish on his face.

 

“Of course we are!”

 

“It’s nine-ten in the morning, Adrien. If that girl knows how to live, she’s still sleeping right now.”

 

Adrien shrugged, “I’ll wake her up. It’ll be fine.”

 

Plagg looked at Adrien through narrowed eyes but floated up from the desk in preparation.

 

“Plagg,” Adrien grinned at him, “You know what to do.”

 

A moment later, Chat Noir was bounding out of Adrien’s room with a satisfied grin. His hair was held back by the wind as he vaulted from rooftop to rooftop, barely having to consider his footing or balance. After two years, this came naturally to him. Second only to playing piano, being Chat Noir was a skill Adrien was completely confident in.

 

He landed quietly on Marinette’s Terrace, taking a moment to survey his surroundings. A few people were walking near the building on the sidewalk, but they hadn’t noticed him as he had been too fast and out of their fields of vision. There wasn’t any sound coming from Marinette’s room, and the terrace door was closed, telling Chat that Plagg had been right. Marinette was sleeping, but he certainly wasn’t above waking her up.

 

Chat walked to the terrace door and knocked loudly against it a few times. He sat cross-legged in front of it and starred down, waiting for a pretty girl to appear. When she didn’t, he knocked again, louder this time. Finally, he heard shuffling around, a muffled sleepy groan, and the sound of weight being taken off of a bed. Silence followed before he heard an exchange between Marinette and someone else with a very high pitched voice. He smiled, guessing the voice came from his lady’s kwami.

 

Apprehension lined Marinette’s voice as she spoke, “Who is it?”

 

Chat grinned, “Your knight in shining armor.”

 

Almost immediately, Chat was met with the glaring face of Marinette as she revealed herself from behind the door, “Why are you here?” she deadpanned. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, trying to keep her balance while standing on her bed.

 

Her hair was free from its usual restraints. She had a small case of bed head, though it was only enough to make her look cute rather than disheveled. She wore a white t-shirt with a tiny, loose pink bow on the collar and pink shorts with white polka dots. To see the latter, Chat Noir had to peer down into Marinette’s room, as Marinette was only allowing him to directly see her shirt and head.

 

She cleared her throat to get him to look back at her face. When he did, he saw the light blush on her cheeks and grinned.

 

“I just wanted to come see my favorite princess.”

 

She lifted her eyebrows, “At nine in the morning?”

 

“I’d say it’s closer to nine-twenty.”

 

“HA,” Marinette laughed dramatically, “It was nice seeing you, Chat. Goodbye,” her hand, which had been holding the door up, pulled it down with her as she disappeared, but Adrien grabbed it and held it open before she could fully close it.

 

Marinette continued to get off the bed and climb down the stairs to her main room, leaving Chat to peer inside.

 

“Can…” he looked around the room, and then at the back of her head, “Can I come in?”

 

Marinette sighed and plopped down on her chair, “If you’d like.”

 

“I’d love,” Chat grinned and followed her down the stairs.

 

“Your room is really cute,” he commented, looking around again before settling on her couch. He laid against it, putting his arms behind his head in total relaxation.

 

Marinette rolled her eyes at his display and how quickly he was able to make her chair into his home, “Thanks.”

 

“I didn’t know pink was your favorite color,” he lied coolly, playing up his act.

 

“Let me guess,” she smiled at him with her eyes narrowed, “Yours is green?”

 

Chat gasped dramatically, “How’d you know?”

 

Marinette giggled with a shrug, “Just a hunch.”

 

“Do you know why it’s my favorite color?” Chat smirked at her.

 

Marinette looked between Chat’s eyes because _yes_ , she knew _exactly_ why his favorite color was green, but she said simply, “No.”

 

“I’ll tell you. Someone very important to me told me I should wear more green to bring out my _very_ green eyes,” he waggled his eyebrows, “have you noticed them?”

 

Marinette snorted, “Only because you keep coming around.”

 

This was very true. Although Adrien wasn’t friends with Marinette, her and Chat were on better speaking terms. He didn’t visit very often, but Chat found himself at Marinette’s more than a few times over the past two years. She was easy to talk to and always distracted him from his bad days. Her teasing soothed him. And now that he knew she was Ladybug, it all made sense.

 

“You love my visits,” he said back, smiling as he watched her own smile grow.

 

“I’ve certainly gotten used to them,” she shook her head at him, “Why are you here this time?” her amused expression turned into one of concern. Usually Chat showed up and was hidden, locked away inside of himself. He wasn’t her usual Chat when he came to visit, and she assumed it was because he had a troubled personal life outside of his superhero life, and he chose to unwind with her. It was incredibly flattering, but sometimes Marinette wished she could help him out more.

 

Her own double life always stopped her from getting too personal, but his unusually eager and excited mood made her curious.

 

Chat shrugged, “Just wanted to say hi. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

 

Honestly, Marinette’s admittance of not having a crush on him only made Adrien want to be around her more. The thought of losing her to someone else, of losing _his lady_ to another guy, caused him a significant amount of anxiety. He needed to see her as much as possible, to get to know everything about her and memorize her mannerisms before his time ran out.

 

Marinette made a humming noise, telling Chat that she didn’t fully believe him, before she turned in her chair and logged onto her computer.

 

Chat tried to think of something that would pull her back to him, “I have this thing tonight,” he said hesitantly, smiling to himself when she let go of her mouse and turned to him again, “and I’m kind of nervous about it, I guess. It’s nothing bad, just…a performance of sorts,” he tried to be as vague as possible, though he knew Marinette wouldn’t press him for information.

 

She looked at him thoughtfully and nodded, “I see,” her face broke out into a grin, “Is your confidence wavering?”

 

Chat chuckled, “Not one bit. I know I’ll do well.”

 

Marinette shook her head with a giggle before pausing. She smiled again, softer this time, “Yeah, you will.”

 

“Having confidence in myself is one thing, but _you_ having confidence in me is so much better,” he grinned at her. He pulled his arms from under his head and rested his hands on his stomach. Looking at her, his grin softened to mirror her smile.

 

“How can I not be confident in you? You’re a _superhero_ ,” her voice seeped amusement, and her eyes twinkled with it as well.

 

Chat flexed with a grin, earning an eye roll from Marinette.

 

“You’re right. I’m _clawsome_ , aren’t I?” Chat’s eyes twinkled with the same amusement.

 

Marinette’s smile dropped, “You’ve lost me.”

 

Chat pushed his head back in laughter, causing Marinette to break from her façade and smile again.

 

“Marinette!” Sabine called her daughter from below the stairs, “Are you awake?”

 

Chat stood from the couch, knowing that he usually had to leave once her parents interrupted.

 

“Yeah!” Marinette called back, “I’ll be down in a minute!”

 

She turned to Chat with a sorry expression, “I promised I’d help with the bakery today.”

 

Chat set a hand on Marinette’s shoulder and smiled, “It’s okay. I’ll come by again soon.”

 

Marinette sighed, though she was smiling, “If you must.”

 

“I must,” Chat grinned, walked back up the stairs, and climbed onto the terrace.

 

Marinette waited until she could see Chat jump away before she got dressed and walked downstairs. Her mother wasn’t waiting for her, so she continued out the door and down more stairs until she was in the bakery.

 

Although Marinette gave Chat a hard time, she was glad he had come by. She had been up late the night before trying to figure out what had been wrong with him. His whole demeanor changed after she told him she wasn’t interested in Adrien, and she couldn’t figure out why that could be.

 

But because of his visit, she knew she was just worrying for nothing. He was fine, happy even, although a little stressed, and he’d be back to normal by their next meeting. Chat had told her a few days before that he was going to be late to their regularly scheduled patrol, and now she knew it was because of his ‘performance.’ Marinette hated that she was curious and tried to push the feeling down. She couldn’t be curious about Chat’s personal life.

 

Adrien, however, didn’t force himself to under indulge in Marinette. After the performance, he’d have all the time in the world to just get to know her. The only feeling he tried to force down was the blooming crush he felt for Marinette every time he thought of her. He tried to tell himself that she didn’t like him, that he needed to get over it, but it didn’t help.

 

Eventually, after de-transforming and relaxing on his couch, he decided he would embrace the crush. It was okay to like her as long as he didn’t push her, and he had plenty of experience with that.

 

And much to Plagg’s disgust, Adrien embraced the crush quickly and heavily. He spent the rest of the day dreaming about her, with only small breaks in between to practice. It wasn’t until the performance was only a few hours away that his adoration for Marinette was replaced with anxiety about his playing.

 

Adrien, surprisingly, found himself tripping up on a specific part in the song. It was a part that Adrien was usually flawless at, but a mixture of day dreaming and apprehension caused him to mess up over and over again. His hands started to shake at the thought of messing up on stage, and his unease only grew.

 

“Just calm down, Adrien,” Plagg floated next to the Agreste piano, watching Adrien break down two hours before he needed to pull himself together.

 

“I don’t know what’s going on. I…” he let out a shaky breath, “I’m usually so good at this song. This is _my_ song,” he looked at Plagg with wide, pleading eyes, as if Plagg had the answer.

 

“You’ll do fine on stage,” Plagg shrugged unhelpfully.

 

“I’m not so sure anymore,” he swallowed hard and looked back down at the keys. The beginning of Moonlight Sonata came so easily, but that little voice in his head drowned out the melody with its repetition.

 

_You’re going to mess up. You’re going to mess up. You’re going to mess up. YOU’RE GOING TO MESS UP._

 

And Adrien did.

 

His hands were still shaking when Nathalie came walking into the room, holding her hands together in front of her.

 

“Adrien, it’s time to go. Your father is on his way down to the music hall already.”

 

Adrien stood from the piano, looking around for Plagg before he realized he wouldn’t be able to find him. He turned to Nathalie again, hiding his hands behind his back to conceal the shaking.

 

“I just need to change into a suit or…something,” he cleared his throat.

 

“No need,” she said quickly after, “The suit you’ll be wearing is at the music hall. You need to change and immediately head to hair and makeup. That is why we must hurry.”

 

Adrien nodded slowly, “Sure, yeah. I just need a minute. Please.”

 

Nathalie eyed him for a moment but nodded and turned away. Her heels clicked against the floor, sending an eruption of noise to fill the quiet room.

 

Adrien whipped around once the clicking had quieted and searched for his friend, “Plagg?”

 

“I’m here,” Plagg came out from behind the piano and settled into Adrien’s front pocket, “You got this,” he whispered, burrowing deeper into the shirt.

 

Adrien didn’t reply because he didn’t know how to. He had thought previously he was going to do well, but now that it was time to go, he didn’t know what would happen.

 

With a deep breath, Adrien followed Nathalie’s path out the door and into the black car. He tapped his leg nervously, trying to calm himself down.

 

What confused Adrien most wasn’t his sudden inability to play the song, but his sudden stage fright. He was usually comfortable around people and basically grew up under a spot light. His images were on billboards, magazines, and posters. He had to go to fashion shows and parties almost every week. But out of nowhere, he was afraid.

 

His father came to mind, and he realized what the cause was. This performance was the make it break it moment. He could do well and earn his father’s approval, or he could fail and confirm what his father already thought. Shows, shoots, and parties were easy. They were expected of Adrien, and there wasn’t a possibility of failure. Playing piano, however, was something unexpected. He had never used his talent to further his father’s reputation, but now he had to. And because playing for his father was new territory, he didn’t know what to expect. On one hand, his father could grunt and escape into his room again like he had over a year ago. But on the other hand…

 

Maybe Adrien’s playing could show his father that he’s more deserving of love than he had previously thought. Maybe, if he didn’t fail, his father would notice.

 

His father certainly didn’t notice his arrival to the La Nouvelle Eve Cabaret Hall. He was busy doing something much more important than welcoming his son inside, so Nathalie took up the role as guide and ushered him around.

 

Adrien was quite surprised when he walked into the building. The hall, which was commonly used for cabaret shows, was hardly ever rented out for anything. But, Adrien supposed, with enough money anything could happen.

 

The ceiling was royal blue with dots of white lights to emulate a starry night. The color and lights followed down the walls, engulfing him in a feeling of wonder. The carpet and chairs were a ruby red, contrasting the bright white table cloths draping over every table. Lamps attached to the end of the tables, giving a subdued lighting that set a glamorous mood. The stage floor was much flashier, as it was made up of blue and purple light-up tiles. The back of the stage was lined with a royal blue curtain that fell from the ceiling in natural pleats.

 

Adrien had never been to a cabaret show, but his surroundings were telling him he needed to. Everything about the building was beautiful, and he could only imagine the beauty of the performers that usually inhabited it.

 

“Adrien.”

 

Adrien blinked back to his reality. He was standing in the middle of the stage, looking out at the many tables and chairs that would soon be full of people expecting him to do well. Nathalie had been escorting him across the stage to get to the dressing rooms and makeup artists, and Adrien needed to stop. But now, he had to move again. He didn’t want to move.

 

“Adrien,” Nathalie called him again. There was a bit of desperation in her voice, and Adrien assumed that she was on edge as well. His father was expecting a lot from everyone.

 

He sighed and followed Nathalie backstage. Within the next hour, Adrien was dressed and styled. It settled his stomach only a little because the process of getting ready was so normal to him. But he was quickly made nervous again as he watched two men roll a grand piano out onto the stage and stop right in the middle of it, right where Adrien had been standing.

 

He jumped at the sound of his father’s voice, a voice he was hardly used to at all. It was hard and sure, full of experience and bitterness.

 

“I assume you are completely ready for your performance,” Gabriel stood next to Adrien, staring at the piano and not at his son.

 

Adrien breathed out shakily again, but nodded. He cleared his throat when he realized his dad wouldn’t have been able to see his reply, “Yes, Father. I’m ready.”

 

It was a lie, Adrien knew that. He wasn’t ready. It wasn’t because he didn’t know the song, he _did_ , but it was his father’s presence. Adrien spent a year playing Moonlight Sonata alone. Even when he practiced now, he was without an audience. His father had never taken the time to listen to him play it and now Adrien was supposed to play it for him and hundreds of others. It was nerve-wracking, and he could only focus on the negatives.

 

He was going to play in front of hundreds in a little under an hour. He was going to mess up. He was going to disappoint his father. He was going to disappoint himself.

 

Again.

 

His father walked away without another word. He had other, more important stuff to do. Adrien knew that. Adrien always knew that.

 

People started to trickle into the venue, and the building became much louder. Adrien had to find somewhere, anywhere, to be quiet for just a moment. He wanted his quiet room back. He wanted to hear Plagg eat his stupid cheese from the desk. He wanted Marinette to look at him in _that way_ that reminded him why his heart was still strong. He wanted to fly across buildings with her for hours until they were out of Paris and just alone. Together. Quiet.

 

But as Adrien looked for solitude somewhere else, he ran into Nathalie and she made sure he didn’t leave. He told her he was lost because he didn’t want to explain what he was feeling, so she brought him back to the front of the stage; back to the noise.

 

He didn’t move from the spot. Not because he didn’t want to but because he couldn’t if he tried. His doubts glued him to the floor like paper and paste. He was flimsy, matter that could be blown away at any light wind, and oh how he wished for a storm so that he could be as far away from that stage as possible. But there wasn’t even a draft in the room, and the thickness of the air made it hard for him to breathe, so he stuck to his spot backstage and just stared out onto the audience.

 

There were so many people, so many heads filled with judgments.

 

Someone asked him if he was ready, but he didn’t answer. Someone else walked on stage and talked for a while. The show had started.

 

Adrien saw the host extend an arm to him, a Hollywood grin on his face. It took a moment for Adrien to pry himself from his spot and walk on stage. He was engulfed again, but this time in the sound of clapping rather than beauty. He told them all to stop clapping in his head because they were just going to be disappointed.

 

He sat down anyway, silent. The people followed his lead, and all of a sudden the whole building was silent. He breathed out.

 

 _Finally_.

 

And then, Adrien closed his eyes and played Moonlight Sonata for the hundredth time.

 

He was back in the music room at school. He was playing, alone, and then he was playing with Marinette. She giggled at something he said, and her laugh became the music coming from the keys. It drowned everything out, even the silence, and became his reason for playing. If only to hear her laugh again, he would play.

 

Fifteen minutes passed and Adrien ran out of notes to play. His hands hovered above the keys with uncertainty of what to do next.

 

The clapping roared from the seats and pulled Adrien from his thoughts. He looked up at the people, the standing ovation, and stared wide-eyed. He didn’t smile because he didn’t know what was happening.

 

And then it hit him. He hadn’t messed up.

 

Adrien breathed out another shaky breath, a final sentiment to the apprehension he had been feeling. His shoulders slumped, letting go of the rigidity that had once plagued them, as he stood from the piano and bowed. Everything was a daze, full of confusion and shock.

 

He walked off stage as the host spoke again. His words were muffled and unimportant.

 

People congratulated him, told him he did well, but again, their words were unimportant. His father was nowhere to be seen, though, so he took the time to thank everyone for their kindness.

 

Adrien never found his father at the venue. He looked as much as he was allowed to by Nathalie, but he never found him. The next two hours were spent on edge. He felt like he had done well, everyone said that he had done well, but none of it mattered. His father’s opinion, that’s what mattered.

 

It wasn’t until he was in his room, almost three hours later, when he saw his father again. Nathalie slowly knocked on his door and came into the room tentatively. The small smile she had given Adrien after his performance was long gone, and she now looked at him with uneasiness.

 

“Your father would like to see you.”

 

Adrien got up from his bed quickly and followed her to his father’s front door. His presence had been requested by his father many times before, but this was different.

 

Adrien walked into the room. His father was at his desk, sitting up straight in his chair and watching Adrien as he came to stand in front of the desk.

 

They stared at each other in silence for as long as Adrien could stand.

 

“How did I do?” he choked out, clearing his throat in the hopes that he could play his vulnerability off as something else.

 

Gabriel sighed, “You’ve disappointed me greatly, Adrien.”

 

Adrien felt nothing for a moment. A sweet moment that he savored, a moment of ignorance. But then, his brain registered what was said and everything inside of him broke. He looked away quickly to hide any tears that may come up as more moments passed.

 

“To the regular listener, you did well. I suppose that’s something,” Gabriel continued, “But to the few in the audience that are experts in music, you messed up more times than worth counting.

 

“You said you were ready, Adrien, but you were not. Not only did you lie to me, but you made me believe that you had been doing great things this past year. I allowed you to continue on without a teacher, and you haven’t improved at all.”

 

Adrien swallowed back his tears but still couldn’t face his father, “I don’t understand what I did wrong,” his voice came out just above a whisper.

 

“You were too slow for some parts, too fast for others. You played more notes than needed several times throughout the performance.”

 

“How…” Adrien turned to look at his father now, confusion slowly replacing the hurt on his face, “How could you even tell? Those details are so…small.”

 

“I consulted colleagues in the audience after your performance. They are much more competent than I when it comes to music.”

 

Adrien felt the pain in his heart evolve into anger. He swallowed again, this time to push down the bubbling that threatened to boil over.

 

“I’m not sure I understand,” he began slowly, “It sounds like you actively sought out someone who could tell you what I did wrong. Even when…I had a standing ovation. People liked it. I was congratulated and complimented more times than I’ve ever been because of that performance. And I don’t—“

 

“Adrien,” Gabriel interrupted, “It only takes one person in power who thinks wrongly of me, of us, to ruin what we have. Of course I sought an expert.”

 

“You knew I was going to mess up,” Adrien blinked back tears again.

 

“I expected it, though I hoped you wouldn’t.”

 

“Then why did you let me perform?”

 

“I was giving you a chance to surprise me,” Gabriel paused, “Unfortunately, you did not.”

 

Adrien decided not to respond because he knew whatever he was going to say would just be croaks of hurt and anger.

 

“However,” Gabriel’s voice cut through the silence again, “I can understand that you’re just a student. While I had hoped you would rise above that, you did not, and I suppose I cannot blame you for that. Still, I must blame someone, and I have decided that your former piano teacher is to blame. He should not have left when he did. It was his duty to teach you, and he did not do so to the best of his ability.”

 

“What does that mean?” Adrien glared at the floor.

 

“Like I said, it only takes one person with power and condemnation to ruin someone.”

 

Adrien looked up at his father then, his eyes wide and his mouth agape, “You’re not saying…”

 

“It is time for you to leave the room, Adrien. I must make a few calls, and I do not want you interfering with them. Remember, this is just business. We must assert our authority to continue moving up the ladder.”

 

“No, it’s not his fault, he—”

 

“Would you rather I blame you, Adrien?” Gabriel raised his eyebrows at his son.

 

Adrien’s shoulders slumped in defeat, “No, Father.”

 

“Then please go to your room. You are not being punished, but you must stay there for the rest of the night.”

 

“Yes, Sir,” Adrien whispered, taking a moment to just stand there before he forced himself to leave.

 

Back in his room, Adrien thought about his former piano teacher. He thought about his teacher’s family: his daughter, who he found wildly cute when he was ten, and his wife who sometimes baked Adrien cookies. Even though he hadn’t talked to the man in over a year, his teacher was still his mentor and friend and someone he didn’t want to see become ruined.

 

The fact that it was his father who was ruining him just added more pain to his heart. After all, this was Adrien’s fault. The blame should be on him, but he was too much of a coward to say that to his father. He was too afraid to be less in his father’s eyes than he already was.

 

Not that there was any coming back from that night. Adrien’s relationship with his father was forever broken. He had run out of ideas to impress his father and now needed to learn how to deal with being alone. The word father had just become an obligatory name.

 

Adrien imagined his father calling people on the phone. He wasn’t sure who he was calling, but he knew they must have been important and must have been able to make a difference in a piano teacher’s career. By the next day, Adrien knew his former piano teacher would be out of a job and would never be able to come back from this low.

 

Plagg didn’t interrupt Adrien’s mood this time. He let Adrien stare at the ceiling, focusing instead on quietly eating his cheese. The sounds lulled Adrien to sleep, providing more comfort than Plagg knew.

 

Ladybug patrolled alone that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second Sonata is just another way to say Moonlight Sonata. Oh, and there's a huge possibility that this is going to be more than ten chapters.


	6. Berceuse

“Where is that cat?” Ladybug asked her yoyo, the open screen displaying a time of 9:20pm. Chat said he was going to be late, but Ladybug assumed that he meant thirty minutes, an hour at most. Not almost an hour and a half.

 

Especially with Hawk Moth recently going silent, Ladybug and Chat Noir needed to be more on the lookout than ever. He was bound to spring up sometime soon, and there was a possibility he’d be stronger, or implementing a plan he’d taken a break to work on. But even if he wasn’t planning anything special and was just going to hit as hard as he usually did, Ladybug and Chat Noir had become too comfortable over the past few days. They weren’t patrolling nearly as much as they should have and were spending too much of their time just hanging out.

 

Not that Ladybug didn’t enjoy it. The newfound intimacy, though it was still limited, proved something to Ladybug that she hadn’t known she was questioning. Chat Noir really was one of her best friends, and even though they didn’t get to share as much as she did with her civilian friends, she and Chat were comfortable with the boundaries of their relationship. They could talk about nothing for hours, making jokes and being silly, without feeling the need to press for information. And even though she knew Chat would love to know more, and secretly she found her curiosity growing as well, the mystery was relaxed.

 

But though the intimacy was professional and small, it still made Ladybug feel a bit bad. Chat was such a good guy, such a good friend, that she found herself wanting to confide in him more and more. If her trust in Chat was the only thing stopping her from revealing herself, she would have already told him, but Ladybug needed to think about greater concerns, like Hawk Moth.

 

Hawk Moth, who could very well know that Ladybug was out of practice and vulnerable as she stood alone on a rooftop. Her partner was missing, and she didn’t know if she’d be able to handle a surprise attack on her own.

 

She tried calling him on her yoyo again, but the call dropped for the tenth time. Wherever he was, he certainly wasn’t in his suit on his way to meet her.

 

Ladybug was already half way done with their usual patrol. It was taking a bit longer because not only did she have to patrol for two people, but she stopped every ten minutes to check her yoyo. Maybe he’d call, or maybe he’d answer her call this time.

 

This wasn’t just about patrolling, even if Ladybug wouldn’t let herself think of her apprehension as anything more than needing his help in case of an akuma attack. Chat had said he’d be at the patrol, but he still wasn’t there. His exact words, Ladybug recounted again, were ‘I’ll be a little late.’ An hour and a half was too long to be a little. Chat kept his promises. He would be there with her if he could, so obviously something had happened that kept him from coming. Ladybug tried her best to not let her mind wander to the possible causes for his absence.

 

She finished the patrol alone, stopping only twice more to call Chat. When she landed back on the rooftop of their usual meeting place at 10:30, Ladybug was tired. Physically because she had done her best to patrol her usual spots and Chat’s, and emotionally because she was worried about her best friend. So much, in fact, that she allowed herself to worry about him as a friend rather than as just a partner. Something was wrong. Chat, who never missed a patrol unless he told her beforehand, wasn’t there.

 

There wasn’t much she could do. He wouldn’t answer her calls, and she had no idea where she could find him. A huge downside to keeping their identities a secret was that she only had access to him when he was in his suit. There had been more than a few times when Marinette sat in her room alone, wishing Chat was there with her.

 

When Chat started visiting Marinette, she continued to push her annoyed disposition on his presence. There was a certain rhythm to their friendship, both as Ladybug and as Marinette, which kept her from showing her true emotions. Of course, Chat must have known that she cared about him, but Ladybug hardly ever formed it into words because it was just so much easier to tease him.

 

Even while standing on top of their meeting place, thinking about Chat with more love and sincerity than she had ever allowed herself before, she still couldn’t form the words to correctly explain how she felt. She loved him in the same way she loved Alya, but even that scared her. She was allowed to know Alya, but she wasn’t allowed to know Chat. She was afraid that the day would come where her longing to be better friends with Chat would outweigh her desire to keep their identities concealed. And then, shudder to think, her moment of blind emotion could put them in danger. She knew that Chat would latch onto the idea of revealing their identities if she ever mentioned it, so she never could.  

 

Ladybug was about to call it a night. She was going to go home, change into her pajamas, and read a good book. If she thought about it, she might put on some quiet music in the background to cut the silence of her room. Maybe she’d sneak downstairs to make hot chocolate and grab a snack. Maybe she’d shower before bed. Most likely, though, she’d be too lazy to do anything and would just collapse on her bed in exhaustion. Her homework was done, her clothes for the next day were clean and ready, and her night was almost over.

 

She’d call Chat Noir the next day and check up on him, if he didn’t text her first, just to make sure he was okay. There would be light teasing, of course, because that was their way of indicating that everything was okay and normal between them. She would see him in a couple days, and they would go on their patrol together, and everything would be back to normal.

 

Maybe, she found herself hoping, Hawk Moth would even make an appearance. But hopefully not for another day a two so that she could regain her strength. Because, at the moment, as her eyes felt heavy and ready to collapse for good, she was drained.

 

She couldn’t imagine fighting, especially without her partner.

 

Unfortunately for her, Hawk Moth operated outside of her imagination.

 

The sound of screaming split through the usual noise of Paris at night and hit her ears with more ferocity than she had become used to. Her eyes widened, though the bags under them stayed defined, as she tried to search for the source of the noise. Everything was too dark for her to see long distances, so she ended up just frantically searching in the general direction of the noise, failing to adequately find the true source. This was why Ladybug needed Chat. Her weaknesses were his strengths, and she couldn’t do this without him.

 

But she had too. She was only half of a team, but she had to be enough. At least for tonight.

 

As another scream erupted from the same general direction, she decided the best thing to do would be to go there, wherever it was, and try to figure something out once she knew what she was dealing with.

 

Ladybug swung through the buildings, wallowing in the peacefulness of the city between screams. Everyone near her was on edge, but they knew about as much as she did, and it wasn’t their job to worry, so they didn’t. They’d join the screams if the akuma came near them, but it was still far enough away to seem less than reality to them. To Ladybug, however, the screams were more real than anything else in her life. They came from a real person, possibly multiple people, and signified danger, fear, and torture. Her yoyo couldn’t carry her quick enough.

 

Three more screams came from the slowly moving source before she finally reached it. She could hardly see the man as he walked through the air, but she could easily follow his movements. A large piano key appeared in front of him just before he touched down, allowing him to walk through the open space as if there had been steps there all along. The keys lit up as they were created and elicited a soft, musical sound as the man stepped onto them.

 

He didn’t seem to be in a hurry, standing stationary several times to watch the scurrying of citizens and look out onto the vastness of the city. He was looking for someone specific, as all akumas usually were, but it seemed like he was taking his time.

 

Ladybug cleared her throat and watched the darkness before her turn its head to face her. She couldn’t fully see the smirk forming on the man’s face, but she could clearly see the piano keys being created in her direction.

 

“I am the Composer,” he growled, slowly coming closer to Ladybug as he spoke, “I have been ordered to take your miraculous, and then I will be able to seek revenge on Gabriel Agreste.”

 

“Gabriel Agreste…?” Ladybug repeated quietly. She would have looked toward the Agreste home if she hadn’t feared that turning around would make her vulnerable to an attack.

 

“Hawk Moth specified that I must take your miraculous before I find Mr. Agreste, so I will. You will abide by my rules, or I will force the miraculous from your person. It is your choice, Ms. Ladybug,” he continued his slow pace, drawing out the sound from each key before moving on.

 

“So well mannered,” Ladybug watched him walk closer, though she didn’t move away. He wasn’t in a threatening stance, and she knew she had a little more time before he was too close for comfort, so she waited it out. Better to jump away at the last minute and confuse him then let him watch her move away from a safe distance.

 

The Composer chuckled darkly, “I address everyone in the same way,” the man came to a stop, still a good distance from Ladybug. The screaming had stopped, as the attention of the villain was on her rather than the less-abled citizens. Everything was quiet again.

 

“You seem to be incredibly well behaved compared to the other villains I’ve encountered,” the comment was meant to tease the Composer, though it came out as more of a confused question that Ladybug was genuinely curious about. Usually, the akumatized victims were driven by emotions, fighting wildly without much thought put into their actions. It was easier for Chat and Ladybug because their ability to plan their movements was usually the reason for their wins. This villain, however, was too aware, and it sent a subtle shiver down Ladybug’s spine.

 

“So you’ve noticed,” though it was dark, Ladybug could see the Composer cock his head and grin from the light emitting off of the piano key below him. It created a Cheshire Cat-like effect and caused Ladybug to swallow nervously.

 

“Maybe it is my age,” he shrugged slowly, and Ladybug noticed for the first time that he was, indeed, much older than the usual victims. And although 40-something wasn’t really old in Ladybug’s book, it was a striking contrast to the usual 20-somethings and younger, “Though I suppose not, considering how idiotic that Mr. Pigeon was.

 

“Maybe it is my education,” he began to walk in a slow circle around Ladybug, never moving his eyes from her, “Years at an elite institution can allow for beautifully critical thinking.”

 

Ladybug only half listened to him, instead turning her attention to the keys that had once been disappearing after he stepped away, but were now keeping their places to form a circle around her. The Composer continued to walk, continued to talk, and Ladybug followed the man with her eyes. She couldn’t make out what he was wearing, but she knew it had to be a dark color as he was melting into the night.

 

She thought of her friend in black and how he wasn’t trapped with her, and she suddenly felt very alone.

 

“Or maybe,” he stopped again and continued to stare at the girl, “Hawk Moth has just so graciously allowed me to keep my thought process rather than corrupting my whole being. How generous of him, don’t you think? And because of it, I am very aware of your weaknesses,” he stepped backward, leaving the ring of keys that still shined from their spaces in the air.

 

“Where is your friend? The cat fellow.”

 

The only thing Ladybug could think of saying was ‘he’s coming,’ though she wasn’t sure she could force enough confidence into her voice to make it sound true. She didn’t know if Chat was coming, and she didn’t know how to say anything else without making it sound like she was afraid, so she said nothing.

 

The Composer chuckled again, “Cat got your tongue?”

 

Ladybug growled and sprang away, using one of the keys as a platform to jump from their spot on the roof. She didn’t like being in that circle, didn’t like feeling trapped, and certainly didn’t like feeling bested.

 

She could hear the Composer following behind, sounds of music flowing through the streets strikingly as she moved from building to building. He was playing a melody she didn’t recognize, seamlessly creating the sounds with each step he took. If the music had been coming from anyone else, at any other instant, she would have reflected on its beauty.

 

Ladybug closed her eyes for only a moment during a swing, the burning of her eyes begging her to keep them shut. She wanted to be in bed and wished that the music behind her was created to lull her to sleep rather than send terror through her body.

 

Besides the music, it was so quiet. Painfully quiet. A quiet she wasn’t used to hearing in Paris, even at night, and the realization caused her to pause on a rooftop.

 

The melody behind her became louder as it neared. She turned from the cityscape and exited her thoughts to face the music. She was Ladybug, dammit, and she wasn’t going to continue running from a measly akuma. Even though she was tired, even though she was out of practice, even though she was alone, and even though she was afraid, she could do this.

 

Upon arrival, the Composer shot out a musical note toward Ladybug, but she dodged it and sent out her yoyo in the hopes of grabbing onto him.

 

He laughed and dodged it just as easily, “This is a lovely dance, My Dear.”

 

Ladybug chose not to speak again, instead shooting her yoyo out onto a street light and flying away. Just as she hoped, the Composer followed behind her in the same melodic way. She shot her yoyo onto a neighboring street light, but instead of flinging herself forward, she pushed herself around the light of the post and came back down at the same time the Composer was running under the light. She flew toward the back of the villain’s head and wrapped her legs around the sides of it. She changed course quickly by moving her hips to the side and used her thighs to force his head to follow her. She didn’t use enough strength to seriously injure him, but just enough to force him off of his track and make him slip on top of his piano platform.

 

He growled, now crouched on the key and using his hands to keep his body above the platform before he stood. He searched the area for Ladybug, but she was already on her next move. Ladybug had moved onto the rooftop next to the street they were on and waited for him to stand. As he did, she threw her yoyo to wrap around his arm and followed it with her feet out to hit him off of the platform and onto the street. At the last minute, she threw her yoyo to wrap around a protrusion on the building in front of them and flew away before she could hit the ground with him.

 

As the Composer recovered from the last blow, Ladybug finally noticed why it was so quiet. She followed the sleeping forms of people with her eyes all the way to where she had first met the Composer. They each had musical notes circling their heads, and they were all sleeping soundly in the same place the Composer had hit them. As he was chasing her, he must have been simultaneously sending out music notes to trap the citizens around them in a deep sleep.

 

It was quiet because everyone was sleeping, either due to the late hour or the powers of the Composer. If it were up to her, she’d be one of the former, but if she let the Composer run around any longer, she’d be part of the latter.

 

A musical note ripped through the air in front of her and went sailing above her head, just missing her. The villain below her created stairs of piano keys up to the building and faced her with a slightly lit-up glare.

 

“It is waaay past your bedtime, Ms. Ladybug. I propose you take a nap. Let me lull you to sleep,” he grinned and began walking toward her again, a musical note spinning around in his hand waiting to be thrown her way. She tried to back away but was stopped by the wall of a building. The roof they were on wasn’t just flat like the previous buildings had been, but had another room built in the middle of the roof. She hadn’t seen this unnecessary room in the dark but was now pressed up against it as the Composer continued to move toward her.

 

“You may have gotten in some lucky blows, but I believe it is my turn. I’ll try to make it count,” The Composer reached out the hand with the note still spinning in the middle of his palm.

 

Ladybug tried to think of something, anything, to get her out of the situation. She could run to the side and jump off onto another building, but she feared he would hit her anyway. She could run toward him and try to hit him again, but that would just mean running into the note. She could call for her lucky charm, but even that would take too much time, and she wasn’t sure she’d even be able to see it in the dark. She needed light, the ability to see, in order to think of a good plan.

 

With each step, the Composer drew out another note from the one melody he had been playing all night. If nothing else, at least Ladybug was able to listen and appreciate the music he was creating. It was a beautiful piece, contrasting strongly with the villain himself. It was the type of music she’d want to fall asleep to, and she found her eyes closing to the slow creation of the tune.

 

“Hold it!”

 

Ladybug’s breath hitched at the voice. The Composer stopped walking and slowly lowered his hand as both of them looked up. Standing atop the small room that Ladybug was pinned to was none other than her partner.

 

“Chat,” she breathed out.

 

Chat Noir grinned down at Ladybug before jumping from the top of the room and landing behind the Composer. The villain followed his movements, turning from Ladybug to face Chat. This allowed Ladybug to use her yoyo to grab onto the Composer’s wrist and yank him toward her, successfully interrupting his balance and pulling him from his platform to fall onto the rooftop.

 

Before he could stand back up, Chat took his staff and held the Composer down with the end of it.

 

“You’re under a rest,” Chat snickered down at the man before he looked back up at Ladybug, “Get it? Rest, like a musical rest, but also like sleeping.”

 

The Composer tried getting up again, but Chat just forced his staff deeper into the back of the man, earning a groan from him. He lifted his hand toward Chat in an attempt to shoot a musical note, but Ladybug quickly tied the man’s hands together with her yoyo.

 

“I can’t see well enough to find his akuma,” Ladybug glanced up at Chat from her kneeling position, firmly holding the man’s hands together with her tight yoyo string.

 

“Right,” Chat kneeled down in front of the Composer, “I guess the _key_ here is my night vision,” he winked at Ladybug before he surveyed the villain.

 

With his night vision, Chat could see a lot clearer than Ladybug. The Composer was wearing a pure black tuxedo. The cuffs were lined with various musical notes, as was his bow tie, and his hair was slicked back neatly. The man lying in defeat in front of him, who he secretly knew as his former piano teacher, didn’t look much different to the actual civilian man. It was as if, Chat noted sourly, his teacher was ready to perform in front of hundreds of piano fanatics rather than destroy a city. He looked so normal, and that’s what scared Chat the most. Hawk Moth didn’t need to transform his teacher for him to succumb to his anger.

 

“Do you have any idea where it could be?” Ladybug caught his attention again, and he shook his head at her question.

 

“Try turning him over,” he said quietly, his playful disposition suddenly changing at the reminder of his father’s horrible doing.

 

As Chat lifted his staff, Ladybug yanked the Composer’s hands and forced the man to turn over. He growled but had no choice but to oblige.

 

Once again, nothing was out of the ordinary. Chat couldn’t see anything on his person that could double as an akuma. He looked up at Ladybug and shrugged.

 

“There must be something!” Ladybug was exasperated. She just wanted this to be over, but he was proving to be one of the most difficult villains she’d ever had to fight. Even though they had him tied and on the ground, it was taking forever to end everything.

 

The Composer struggled, trying to free himself from Ladybug’s hold, but she only tightened the yoyo out of anger and grumpiness. He cried at the pain of the string digging into his skin and stopped his struggling in the hopes that she’d let up, but she didn’t.

 

“Ladybug, don’t hurt him,” Chat watched her, surprised at her ferocity, “We’ll find the akuma. Just…calm down, okay?”

 

In his attempt at speeding up the process, to get his Lady back to normal, he started patting down the man in the hopes of finding a hidden anything. Ladybug loosened the string slightly, but still held the villain with a glare.

 

“Aha!” Chat yanked a locket from the Composer’s neck, which had been hidden under his shirt, and held it in the air like a trophy.

 

Ladybug breathed a sigh of relief and undid the yoyo string from the Composer’s hands. She quickly grabbed the locket from Chat’s hand and opened it in order to easily break it apart. Within a few moments, the locket was broken, and the released akuma was purified. A wave of ladybugs was sent across Paris.

 

“What…where am I? What’s going on?” The man, who now sat in jeans and a shirt, looked up at the heroes with pure confusion and slight fear.

 

Chat, still kneeling in front of the victim, smiled warmly, “I’ll take you back home, okay?

 

“Ladybug?” Chat looked up at the girl, who was now staring down at the fixed locket in her hands.

 

A nearby streetlight slightly lit up the pictures inside, and she was able to make out two pictures: one of a young girl, about her age, and another of an older woman, who she assumed was his wife. She closed the locket, trying not to think of the reasoning behind the locket being akumatized. She always tried to forget the villains’ struggles because thinking about them always made her too sad. Something happened to this man, something related to his family, and he was so deeply angered that he had become the most aware and evil villain she had ever fought. Even though he hadn’t been able to hit her, he so sincerely wanted to harm her and bring harm to others that it scared her. Unlike other villains, he was able to talk to her coherently. He was smart, able to think through his moves, and still wanted to get revenge.

 

Whatever happened to him, it was bad, and the anger and hurt ran deep inside of him.

 

“This is yours,” she said quietly as she walked toward the man that had so recently wanted to harm her.

 

“My locket,” he breathed out, mostly to himself, as he reached up to take the necklace, “Thank you,” he looked up at Ladybug, “and I’m sorry for any problems I may have caused.”

 

“Don’t worry about it,” Ladybug smiled, though it was slightly forced, before she walked toward the edge of the building. She looked down toward the street and watched as recently awoken civilians walked home, “Everything’s alright now.”

 

The man was standing when Ladybug turned around.  He nodded and walked with Chat Noir to the stairs on the side of the building. He disappeared down the side of the building, but Chat stopped before following.

 

Chat turned to Ladybug, “I need to talk to him, so I’m going to walk him home. Are you alright? You seem a little shaken up,” he said softly, looking at Ladybug with concern. If he could, he’d pull her into a tight hug and never let her go.

 

Ladybug nodded, “I’ll be alright. I’m so tired…” she closed her eyes for only a moment before opening them again, “but I’d like to talk to you if that’s alright. Meet me at our usual spot?”

 

Chat nodded, “I’ll be there as soon as I can, My Lady.”

 

Ladybug watched Chat follow the former villain down the side stairs and lead him away down the street. She watched until their forms were too dark for her to see anymore, and then she finally left from her spot on the rooftop and made her way to the other, more familiar rooftop.

 

Her moves were lazy and unfocused. She almost missed throwing her yoyo a few times and could have ended up slamming into the ground, but she always regained her focus at the last minute and saved herself. When she got to their meeting place, she felt more exhausted than she ever had after a fight.

 

For some reason, this guy seemed to have taken more of an emotional toll on her than previous villains. It wasn’t just his pure anger but how easily it brought out her own hatred. She saw the way Chat looked at her when she tightened the string a little too tight. She remembered feeling the seething rage that prompted her to want to hurt the man. Usually, she got the job done but tried to be as gentle as possible. She never wanted to seriously injure any of the antiheroes because they were more victims than villains.

 

But this guy was different. He was able to think his way through the fight, and still he thought hurting her and many others was a good idea. He was less corrupted by Hawk Moth because he was more desperate for revenge than any of the others. And while that just made him more a victim than anything else, it still set something off in Ladybug. She became just as ready to deal back the hurt.

 

Chat touched down softly onto the rooftop, a few yards away from where Ladybug stood at the edge of the roof. Everyone was gone from the streets now. It was sometime after midnight, but even the teenagers and 20-somethings who spent their time at clubs went home after waking up from the Composer’s sleep.

 

Ladybug turned away from the city to look at Chat. He didn’t walk any closer to her or say anything at all, and Ladybug wished she could run away again just as she had with the Composer. The fact that her partner was afraid of her now, that he didn’t even want to be near her, was more terrifying than her own hatred.

 

“I’m so sorry,” she said just above a whisper, but she knew he’d hear her. Her fists clenched together at her side and she blinked more so than usual to keep any tears at bay. She looked anywhere but at his face when she spoke, instead drawing her attention to the rooftop.

 

“ _You’re_ sorry?” Chat asked in confusion. He walked a few steps closer, but Ladybug flinched back.

 

“You don’t have to come any closer if you don’t want to. I understand,” Ladybug’s hands, unclenched, began to shake slightly at her fear of herself and anxiety from being so close to Chat but feeling miles away.

 

“I always want to come closer,” Chat walked a few more steps, “What’s going on, Ladybug? What do you understand?”

 

“I understand…” she looked away again, “that you’re afraid of me. Because of how I acted toward the Composer. I was too harsh with him. And I think…the hatred he felt somehow brought a similar hatred out in me. And I’m sorry,” she hugged herself with her arms, clutching her shoulders with her hands tightly to try to subdue the shaking.

 

“That’s what you think? That I’m scared?” Chat closed the rest of the distance and put a hand on each of hers. He rubbed them up so they were just on her shoulders before he met her eyes again, “I’m concerned, Lady. I’m worried about you. I’m not afraid of you. I could never be afraid of you.”

 

“But the way I acted—”

 

“You were a little harsh, yeah, but I get it. You had to fight that guy on your own,” the last part came out quietly as he reflected on his own mistake, “And it’s late, and you’re tired—”

 

“Those are just excuses,” Ladybug shook her head, “I’m always supposed to be levelheaded. That’s my job.”

 

“No,” Chat pulled her closer. He wrapped his arms around her frame, though she continued to hold her shoulders, “You’re just a little bit above a normal human. No one can blame you for having emotions, too.

 

“I’m sorry for leaving you to deal with him alone. I should have been there,” he searched her eyes as he spoke, “I should have helped you. That’s when it all works out, when we work together. Without one of us—”

 

“We’re just half of a whole,” she finished, taking a deep breath afterward.

 

Chat gave her a small smile and nodded, “Exactly. And we can’t expect half of a whole to get the job done properly. It was my fault,” his smile dropped, “And I’m sorry. I’ll be there next time and every time after that.”

 

Ladybug leaned her head against Chat’s shoulder, letting out another breath, “I know you will. But it’s not your fault,” as she spoke, Ladybug unclenched her hands from her shoulders and wrapped them around Chat until they were both holding each other.

 

“I don’t blame you for anything,” her voice whispered against his neck. She was so tired and so comfortable in his arms that she could have easily fallen asleep right there.

 

Chat was silent for a moment before he tightened the hug and buried his head into her neck. She stood on her toes to tighten the hug as well, both of them as close to each other as possible.

 

Several minutes later, when they found the strength to let go, they were both smiling at the other.

 

“Can I take you home?” Chat grinned, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively.

 

Ladybug rolled her eyes, “I’m sure I’ll manage.”

 

“You sure?” he tugged at her hand lovingly, “I could carry you,” he grinned again.

 

“You’re hilarious.”

 

“I’m _Hiss_ terical.”

 

Ladybug pushed him gently with a shake of her head, “Definitely not,” she paused just to stare up at him with a small smile. He returned the gesture.

 

“I’ll see you later, Kitty,” she walked passed him but looked back to share another smile.

 

“Goodbye my _purr_ etty lovebug,” he waved his hand with a grin, watching as she walked toward the edge of the building.

 

She shook her head again before swinging away. Chat didn’t have to watch to know which way she was headed. He’d pay a visit to Marinette soon.

 

Chat could have gone home, but he knew he’d just play around on his computer for hours until he felt tired again. He was wide awake from his nap and didn’t feel like hanging out in his room for any longer than he had to. Besides, he hadn’t had to use any of his powers and was sure Plagg could handle a little bit longer.

 

Instead of bounding away, Chat sat at the edge of the building and swung his legs back and forth gently. A few lights were still on inside of houses and apartments, but most of the lights around him only came from the street. No one was walking around, and Paris was almost completely quiet after the late night akuma attack.

 

Usually, silence would bother him because it left him alone with thoughts he always tried to cover up, but this silence was welcomed. All of his thoughts were on Marinette. He marveled at how quickly he was falling for his Lady again, but it felt so much purer than before. Still, he knew she didn’t feel the same way, and he would still need to try his best at subduing his ever-growing feelings.

 

But the way she looked at him only moments before, the way she hugged him close to her, it all felt so real. There was no doubt in his mind that she loved him, and although he was grateful for it, he found himself wishing he could turn the platonic love into something else.

 

He’d have to get over his feelings for her someday, but for now, as he stared off at Paris and watched the twinkling lights of the Eiffel Tower glow, he let himself toy with the idea of really being with her. Hugging her all the time, seeing those small smiles of pure love whenever she was around, and getting to hold her hand just because.

 

It was a dream, and unfortunately, it was going to have to stay that way.

 

Chat sighed and stood from the building’s edge. As he jumped away, he still thought of Marinette. He knew she was going to be on his mind for a long while.  


	7. Grande Valse Brillante

Marinette slept in Sunday morning. She slept through two alarms, urging her to get up in order to uphold her promise and help her parents in the bakery downstairs. Even when Sabine walked up the stairs and noisily opened Marinette’s door, the girl continued to sleep. At the sight of her daughter nestled away under her covers, Sabine closed the door with a much softer hand and left to take care of the duties that Marinette had slept through.

 

Just before it could no longer be considered morning, Marinette woke up feeling otherworldly. She felt gross, to put it simply, as a thin layer of sweat was glazed over her body from hours of sleeping under a blanket, and parts of her arm and face were sticky with drool.

 

She groaned, slowly and messily sitting up in bed. Her head pounded from the sudden rush of blood, and she felt more tired than she had the night before. It took her a moment before she realized what it all meant, that she had overslept considerably, and she was out of bed and rushing down the stairs.

 

Now in her bathroom, Marinette took a moment to stare disgustedly at her reflection. She wasn’t one to fuss over her appearance and had never really been insecure about her body, but in that moment her reflection painted a different picture. Marinette easily compared herself to a troll, one with hair that stuck straight out and bags that pulled on her eyes. The more she looked at herself, the more she tricked her mind into thinking she had graying skin. She scared herself even more when she groaned again because it came out gruff and very troll-like. Marinette had to do something before she transformed right before her own eyes.

 

Marinette did her best to clean up without actually taking a shower. She washed her hands and all the way up her arms, as the drool stuck closer to her shoulders. She washed her face and brushed her teeth, doing her best to not put too much pressure on the toothbrush in the panic of the moment. Her hair, brushed and secured into neater pigtails, was frizzier than usual, but Marinette decided it would have to do.

 

The clothes she had set out before, the same clothes she had been expecting to put on by 7am that morning, were still neatly folded on her desk. She put them on quickly before checking her reflection one last time, sighing in relief as she saw a much more Marinette-like figure, and running down to the bakery.

 

She stopped abruptly as she neared the front of the bakery. Her father was stocking the nearly empty shelves with fresh baked pastries as her mother manned the cash register. A small line stood before her, each customer either holding something in their hands already or waiting till they were at the front to order a pastry from behind the counter. Marinette leaned against the threshold that connected the front of the bakery to the kitchen and watched with patience. What she wanted to do was rush over to her parents and apologize for everything, explaining in detail why she was so tired and where she had been the night before. Of course, she couldn’t do that, and she’d have to come up with some other excuse to explain her absence.

 

When the line was gone and patrons still roaming the bakery with indecision were the only customers left, Marinette walked out from under the threshold and met her mother at the cash register.

 

“You’re awake!” Sabine smiled warmly at her daughter, puzzling Marinette for a moment by how good-humored she sounded.

 

“Mom, I’m so sorry. I don’t know how I could have slept through both of my alarms. I hope I didn’t cause you too much trouble,” Marinette hung her head, staring at her shoes as she waited to be scolded softly by her loving by stern mother. Instead, Sabine laughed.

 

“Don’t apologize for being tired, Honey. Besides, your father and I took care of everything.”

 

Tom Dupain walked by and winked at his daughter with a loving smile before disappearing back into the kitchen.

 

“But I promised to help,” Marinette met her mother’s eyes now.

 

Sabine shrugged, “Sometimes things change.”

 

“Still, is there anything else I can do? I was supposed to help all day, so I could start now if you need a helping hand.”

 

Sabine laughed again, gently setting a hand on Marinette’s shoulder, “Look around, Marinette. We’re not very busy at the moment, and your dad just restocked the shelves. We’re set for another few hours. I’m sure we can manage everything on our own,” she dropped her hand from her daughter’s shoulder and turned to take care of an approaching customer.

 

“Grab some breakfast from the display and go off and do something fun,” she continued with a wave goodbye at the customer, “I don’t want you stuck here all day.”

 

Marinette walked behind her mother and opened the display case carefully. Her eyes were already on a chocolate croissant, “You’re sure?” she asked, though she was more focused on easing the biggest croissant from under the stack of much smaller, less desirable pastries.

 

Sabine shook her head as she watched, stifling back laughter at the incredible concentration on her daughter’s face, “I’m sure.”

 

Marinette grinned smugly to herself when the croissant easily slid out from under the pile of others. She felt as if she had just pulled a tablecloth out from under a stack of dishes. But she wouldn’t have been able to eat the tablecloth.

 

With a mouth full of pastry, Marinette shrugged, “If you say so.”

 

Sabine’s face twisted up in disgust, “You obviously get your manners from your father.”

 

Marinette covered her full mouth and giggled. Sabine turned back to the cash register to take care of another customer, so Marinette took it as a signal that she was free to go.

 

Before Marinette could think about doing anything else, she was going to stand in the shower for a very long time.

 

Contrastingly, Adrien was already showered and ready for the day. But rather than his usual clothes, he instead wore a thin forest green sweater, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and black jeans. Green, he had to admit to his reflection, looked exceptionally good on him. Adrien grinned knowingly at himself before he walked away from the mirror. Plagg watched him with suspicion.

 

“You seem much cheerier today. Why the sudden change?” Plagg followed Adrien as he grabbed a messenger bag full of papers.

 

Adrien grinned, “Today’s going to be a good day, Plagg.”

 

Plagg sighed and rolled his eyes at the ever-changing mood of his charge. He hoped for Adrien’s sake that he was right. The boy absolutely deserved a good day.

 

A knock came from the door, and Plagg hid inside of the messenger bag before Nathalie could walk through. The woman stopped quickly as she saw a much-closer-than-usual boy with a spreading grin on his face. She blinked before narrowing her eyes suspiciously at Adrien.

 

“Good morning, Adrien. I’ve come to give you your schedule for the day. Because you took yesterday off,” Adrien tried not to roll his eyes at the accusation, “and the big photo shoot was canceled this morning, you’ve been given a very busy schedule for the rest of the day. We must hurry down to the studio and get you set up for your next photo shoot. You have a total of three photo shoots today, two individual public appearances, and another public appearance tonight with your father. We’ve called several paparazzi agencies and have told them of your whereabouts for the day, so you should be in several magazines by next week.”

 

As she spoke, Nathalie scrolled through the schedule on her tablet, hardly looking up to catch the reactions of Adrien. But even if she had, she wouldn’t have seen much of a change in his expression, as Adrien smiled through the whole spiel.

 

Nathalie looked Adrien up and down before meeting his eyes again, “I would suggest changing into something more suitable for the day, but unfortunately we do not have time. If you’re ready, Mr. Agreste, I believe the car is parked out front.”

 

Adrien set a hand on Nathalie’s shoulder, noticing the sudden shock and confusion in the obedient woman’s eyes. Though she had known Adrien for several years, they had never had much physical contact with each other.

 

“I appreciate the work you have put into my schedule, Nathalie, but I must politely decline. Please cancel all of my appointments for the day,” his smile softened at the growing surprise on Nathalie’s face. He had expected this. His hand dropped to his side as he waited to be scolded for suggesting such a thing.

 

“This is not up for discussion. Your father has approved this schedule and _only_ this schedule, and I have not been given the instruction to do anything else with it. You are to follow it exactly,” Nathalie hugged the tablet to her chest as she spoke, trying to sound direct but failing to do so with as much shock as she felt.

 

“Then I suppose I’ll have to discuss this with my father, won’t I?” Adrien smiled one last time at Nathalie before he walked around her and out of his door. He strode confidentially to his father’s office, pausing only a moment outside of it before knocking loudly.

 

Something had happened the night before that ignited a fire inside of Adrien. He hadn’t felt it right after the talk with his father, when he was lying in bed and drifting to sleep. He hadn’t felt it during his race to meet up with Ladybug, very late and very guilty. He hadn’t even felt it during the liberation of the akuma, or afterward when Ladybug told him to meet her at their usual spot.

 

It was the discussion with his former piano teacher that started everything. The man, who he knew was a kind soul, had turned to anger and destruction in a state of vulnerable despair. His heart had been so full of a need for vengeance that he had turned away from his usual kind-hearted disposition and succumbed so readily to the hatred he felt. And it was because of Adrien’s own father, no less.

 

His teacher was so broken during the walk home. His shoulders slumped uncharacteristically and he walked as if on autopilot, trapped by dangerous thoughts he had never had before. It reminded Adrien too much of himself.

 

In an attempt to fix the man’s mood, Chat tried to lightheartedly start a conversation, but his teacher never continued it. Finally, after several moments of silence, Chat tried again.

 

“I know who you are,” Chat paused in the hopes that his teacher would respond, but he didn’t.

 

“You’re Arthur Bellerose. You taught piano to a friend of mine,” Chat continued.

 

“Be sure to tell your friend that I will no longer be able to give lessons to him,” Arthur sighed and then muttered, “Or anyone else for that matter.”

 

“Why? I hear you’re a very good teacher,” Chat slowed his pacing as Arthur did as well.

 

“Yes. I am,” Arthur closed his eyes for a moment before he continued again, “But it seems that I am not good enough.”

 

“Who says?” Chat held his hands in fists at his side, already knowing the answer and growing angrier at the thought of his father.

 

Arthur sighed again and shook his head, “It does not matter who. He is just a man with too much power. Unfortunately for me, he has decided to use that power to destroy my career.”

 

“That is horrible,” Chat said through gritted teeth, “and disgustingly unfair.”

 

Arthur laughed without humor and nodded, “Yes, it is, isn’t it? I’m not sure what I can do now. My family…they’re all I have left, and who’s to say that they won’t leave me after such a failure?”

 

Chat’s eyes widened, “Don’t say that. They won’t leave you. And maybe…maybe you can fix your career. Start over, or-or something. It can’t just be over,” Chat swallowed hard as he desperately tried to think of a solution.

 

“It has taken me thirty years to build the reputation that I had before today. I cannot start over.”

 

Chat and Arthur reached the home in silence. They stood in front of it for another silent moment before Arthur spoke again.

 

“I am utterly grateful for the career I had. It allowed me to pay off this beautiful house and support my beautiful family. But this house will sound much quieter now without the sound of music, and I cannot fathom what other heartaches are to come for my family now,” Arthur gazed dreamily at the large house, reflecting on the years spent inside of it. The loving and warm atmosphere that he and his family had created was now being threatened by the darkness swirling inside of Arthur’s saddened heart. 

 

“You’re just going to give up piano? Just like that?” Chat stared up at his teacher.

 

“I no longer have the passion for a dying talent. Not after tonight,” Arthur turned to Chat with a sad smile, “I must thank you for saving me, but I’m afraid there’s nothing else for you to do.”

 

Arthur turned to walk away but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He turned again to see Chat looking up at him with a hardened expression.

 

“Just wait, Mr. Bellerose. Good is to come. I know it.”

 

Arthur gave the boy another sad smile before he walked away from Chat’s hold, “I wish I could believe you, My Boy.”

 

As Arthur disappeared into the dark home, Chat balled his hands into fists again. Being affected by his father for years, full of sadness and anguish, was okay when his father’s only target was Adrien. He could live with his own despair because he had a life outside of it. He had relationships and friends and talent that took him through each day. It was enough to keep him outside of the realm of a deep depression.

 

But seeing someone else, someone he cared for deeply, go through the same hurt from his father was too much for Adrien to handle. No one deserved this kind of pain.

 

Not Arthur and not himself.

 

The fire inside of Adrien stayed lit for the rest of the night. It was still there when Adrien woke up and survived through a shower. Adrien was ready for the day and ready to take back his life. In the process, if he could, he was going to help Arthur as well.

 

“Come in,” the booming of Gabriel’s voice invited Adrien into the office. He was, as always, nose deep in paperwork and payed little attention to the presence of his son.

 

“Adrien,” he stated without looking up, “You should be on your way to your first photo shoot. We do not have time to talk.”

 

“We do, actually, because I won’t be going to the first photo shoot or any of the others you have scheduled for me today.”

 

Gabriel paused and finally looked up. He set the paperwork down and folded his hands on top of his desk, “Is that so?”

 

Adrien clutched at the strap of his messenger bag, “It is so, Father. I have other plans for today.”

 

Gabriel shook his head, “Your number one priority is always your set schedule. You may tend to you other plans another time.”

 

“No,” Adrien shook his head slowly, “I will not let you strangle my life away any longer.”

 

Gabriel raised his eyebrows, “Strangle? You don’t think that’s a little too dramatic?”

 

“Not at all.”

 

“Regardless,” Gabriel turned back to his paperwork, “You will be going to the photoshoot, and you will do as I say. That is final.”

 

“No it’s not, Father. I am not going to the photoshoot. I am leaving today, and I am doing my own thing. Something I want to do.”

 

“Adrien,” Gabriel met his son’s eyes again with a firm expression, “We are done here.”

 

“Yes, we are. I’ve told you how things will go today. I having nothing else to say to you,” Adrien turned to leave, still holding his bag’s strap so tightly his knuckles were turning white.

 

“Adrien,” his father’s voice was louder and more threatening this time, “If you do not do as I say, I will send someone to find you and you will be locked in your room during every moment you are not at school or at work for the next month. Do you understand?”

 

Adrien faced his father again, much closer to the door now, “Your threats mean nothing.”

 

“I am your _father_ ,” Gabriel held a pen in the same way Adrien held his messenger bag strap. His knuckles were white with level-headed rage.

 

“You haven’t been a father to me since the day mom left. You have been a dictator. You control my life as if it is your own, which it is not. I am my own person, and I will do what I see fit. I am quitting modeling, and I am quitting your company.”

 

“You are the face of my company, Adrien, you cannot just—”

 

“I’m not just the _face of your company_! I should be treated like your son, but instead I am treated like an employee. So, I will treat you as my employer. I am done with your company, and I am done with your rules.”

 

“Adrien—”

 

“No! You’re a disgusting man that I owe nothing to. I’m leaving for the day, and if I so much as see one of our cars driving my way, I will ruin your career,” Adrien stared at Gabriel with anger and resentment.

 

“As the face of your company, I have that power,” Adrien watched his father lean back farther in his chair, a glare never leaving his face.

 

“You think you know more than you do, and you believe you can do more than you can. You have no power over me, Adrien.”

 

Adrien smirked and spat with venom, “Try me.”

 

Adrien left shortly after, pausing only for a moment to glare at his silenced father a bit longer before he was out of the office and walking toward the front door.

 

He checked behind him several times on his way to his destination, but no one ever followed him. Any black cars around him were full of regular people and weren’t tinted in the overly-dramatic and paranoid way his were.

 

As Adrien walked up to Marinette’s bakery, he knew he was safe.

 

The door jingled with a much warmer welcoming than his father had ever given him. The bakery smelled of everything he loved in life, and the giggle from behind the counter warmed his heart. He recognized the woman as Marinette’s mother, and when she smiled at him, he couldn’t help but smile back.

 

“You look very familiar,” she said as Adrien approached the counter, a small smile still directed at him.

 

“My name is Adrien,” he offered her one of his hands and shook hers firmly, “I’m one of Marinette’s friends.”

 

“Of course! I’ve heard a lot about you over the years, but it’s so nice to finally meet you again!”

 

Adrien slightly cocked his head in confusion. He and Marinette had only just recently become friends, but she’d been talking about him to her mother for years. He tried to stop the blush from forming on his face by quickly shooing away his hopeful thoughts, but Sabine caught it and smiled warmly again.

 

“She’s upstairs getting ready. Would you like to go see her?”

 

Adrien just nodded, and then followed Sabine into the kitchen and up the stairs. When they reached the living room, Adrien stopped and watched as Sabine walked toward Marinette’s door.

 

“Honey, Adrien’s here to see you,” she called, staring up at the door from Marinette’s stairs.

 

There was a pause before Marinette called back, “Adrien Agreste?”

 

Sabine grinned, “That’s the one.”

 

“Ummm…just…” There was a bunch of noise that Adrien couldn’t make out as Marinette tried to get ready much faster than she had that morning, “Tell him I’ll be down in a minute!”

 

Sabine raised her eyebrows at Adrien, “Make yourself at home. She just got out of the shower.”

 

Adrien nodded and hurried over to the couch. He watched Sabine close the door behind her as she descended back into the bakery before he let out a breath and ruined his perfect posture by sitting back into the couch. A few more obscure noises were heard before Marinette opened her door and walked downstairs.

 

He turned and met Marinette’s stare with a smile, “Hey.”

 

“Hey,” she blinked a few times, “What…I mean, why…what are you doing here?” She did her best to ask without sounding accusatory or like she didn’t want him there. The sight of him sitting on her couch was enough to make her nervous again, and she had to remind herself that she and Adrien were friends. Of course he was allowed to come to her house, just as Alya was.

 

Adrien stood from the couch and walked closer to her. His eyes were suddenly filled with determination and he looked at her excitedly, “I have a proposition for you.”

 

Marinette was drawn in by his confidence and allowed herself to be confident as well. She walked closer and raised her eyebrows, reminding Adrien of her mother. Warmth, it seemed, ran in the family.

 

“Oh?” Marinette asked, her eyes going from the messenger bag to his face.

 

“I’m sure you’ve heard there was an akuma attack last night. The man who was akumatized is my former piano teacher. My father was the reason he became so angry, and his career is ruined now because of something my father did.”

 

Marinette furrowed her eyebrows, “What happened?”

 

Adrien looked away for a moment before he met Marinette’s eyes again. His expression was strained and full of guilt, “I had a piano performance last night. I did well in the eyes of everyone except my father and a few of his musical genius colleagues,” he gritted his teeth and shook his head. His eyes were on the floor when he continued, “My father blames the performance on my former piano teacher, who refused to teach me after he had been teaching me for ten years. He said I didn’t have anything else to learn, and even though my father disagreed, he quit. My father…” Adrien swallowed his emotions before he could continue, “He has a lot of power. He called around, told everyone about how Mr. Bellerose wronged our family and caused me to perform without being ready. Now, I guess, his reputation is ruined and he can’t teach anymore.”

 

“Oh, Adrien…” Marinette stepped closer and set a hand on his arm. Adrien met her eyes again and smiled.

 

“It’s okay. Don’t worry about me,” his smile dropped slowly, “I just feel like I need to do something. To right this wrong somehow. I know it’s not my fault—”

 

“It really, really isn’t. Not at all,” Marinette squeezed Adrien’s bicep gently, earning another smile from the boy in front of her. She knew his father wasn’t to be messed with, but she hadn’t realized how badly he treated Adrien. She knew Adrien must have done well, and his father was just overreacting. She couldn’t begin to imagine how long this sort of relationship between them had been going on.

 

“I still want to help.”

 

“Is there something I can do?” Marinette looked up at Adrien with the softest expression Adrien had ever seen.

 

“Actually, yes. That’s why I’m here. My proposition, remember?”

 

Marinette dropped her hand but stayed close, “Sure, anything.”

 

He grinned, “Well, I thought about it for a while, and I decided that the best way to show Mr. Bellerose that he should continue teaching would be to show how his teaching has affected me. I know you and I have only played the piano a few times together, but I still consider you my student. Would you consider me your teacher?” he continued to grin hopefully at her.

 

She giggled and nodded, “Absolutely.”

 

His smile softened as he grew more serious, “Maybe if he sees that his teaching has inspired me to teach, he’ll realize that his talent still needs to be shared with the world.”

 

“What do you propose we do?”

 

“I’m hoping that if we just go see him, talk to him, that he’ll see you and understand that he’s still needed. Oh, and also,” Adrien paused to pull out a piece of paper from his messenger bag. It was a flier with an advertisement for the piano teacher, complete with his number and a heartfelt review from Adrien Agreste himself, “I made these. We’ll have to ask Mr. Bellerose before we put them up, but maybe just seeing this flyer will ignite something inside of him again.”

 

Marinette smiled adoringly at Adrien. Her heart ached for him, and she wondered how such a kind soul could deserve and receive such disgusting treatment, “It’ll work,” she said quietly with complete sureness.

 

He shrugged and smiled, “It might. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to try.”

 

Marinette nodded. She looked at the flier in Adrien’s hand and took his other hand in hers. She gently squeezed his hand and smiled to herself when he reciprocated. She sighed shakily as she moved her gaze from the flier to his face again. He was staring down at her, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration, and she was taken aback by the fierceness of his gaze. Still, Marinette smiled softly, and it softened Adrien’s expression as well.

 

“I’m glad you’re my friend, Adrien.”

 

Her voice was so quiet that had the room been filled with any other sound, Adrien wouldn’t have heard her. It took a moment for him to register what she said, but when he did, he played the words over and over again in his head. His face brightened up as he grinned, and his eyes sparkled. With each play of the words in his head, his heart swelled in happiness.

 

He didn’t know what to say. Instead, he pulled her hand toward him so that she had to move closer and wrapped his arms around her waist. The flier dropped to the ground, but he replaced the emptiness in his hands by gently grabbing fistfuls of the back of her shirt. Marinette’s arms hovered above Adrien with surprise before she realized what was happening and quickly returned the hug.

 

Marinette could feel Adrien’s breath on her neck as he burrowed his head into her shoulder. She put a hand on the nape of his neck and held him there, which didn’t seem to bother Adrien at all. He was doing much the same thing, holding her as close to himself as he could.

 

They pulled away only when they heard Sabine walking up the stairs. Both were blushing and neither could hide the smiles on their faces. Sabine walked in but paid no attention to the two teenagers. She grabbed extra napkins from the kitchen and then disappeared down the stairs again.

 

Marinette let out a breath, trying to cool down enough to get her face back to a normal shade.

 

When she felt like she could speak without it coming out shakily, she smiled at him again, “What’s in it for me?”

 

“What do you mean?” he sounded breathless, obviously taking a longer time to calm down than Marinette had.

 

“I mean…usually propositions include something for both parties. I’m helping you, but there isn’t anything in it for me,” she continued to smile to show that she was joking.

 

“Hmm…” he looked away, taking it a bit more seriously than Marinette had intended, “You’re right.”

 

Marinette laughed, “Adrien, I’m only teasing.”

 

He shook his head at her, but showed a hint of a smile, “No, no. You’re completely right. I’m being selfish. You definitely should be getting something out of this.”

 

Adrien huffed, trying to think of something. Marinette just watched with amusement, crossing her arms to continue with the joke.

 

“I’ve got it. I’ll buy you lunch after. How does that sound?” he grinned at her.

 

Marinette smiled and nodded, “Sounds fine, but I have a better idea. Instead of going somewhere else for lunch when we have a perfectly good bakery below us, why don’t we just come back here afterward? My dad makes these really good croissant sandwiches.

 

“Unless, uh, unless you would rather go somewhere else. I know it might be weird, hanging out with my parents. I just thought, maybe, it would be more relaxed here. But if you don’t want to I totally understand. Where else do you want to go?” Marinette played with her fingers nervously.

 

Adrien grinned, trying to keep a laugh in but failing. He ended up snickering before he was able to catch himself, “Marinette, I would love to have lunch here. Your parents are cool,” he shrugged, “And you’re right. It’ll be much more relaxing here. I don’t want to go anywhere else.”

 

Marinette smiled and nodded, “Okay, then we better get going.”

 

“Right,” Adrien walked around Marinette and picked up the flier from the ground. He placed it with the rest of the fliers in his messenger back, glancing at the sleeping Plagg before closing it back up.

“Ready when you are,” he smiled at Marinette and followed her down the stairs. With a wave to her parents, they stepped outside of the bakery and walked toward Arthur Bellerose’s house.

 

“You’re not wearing your signature outfit. Did you get sick of the t-shirt and button-up combo?” Marinette teased lightly as they walked. She had noticed the change as soon as she saw him but hadn’t wanted to bring it up within just a few minutes of them making eye contact. The last thing she wanted to do was let him know that she paid so much attention to him that any change set off sirens in her head.

 

He laughed and shrugged, “I guess so. I think I just wanted to try something different.”

 

“It suits you. Green is definitely your color. It brings out your eyes,” the comment came out before she could stop herself, and it made her blush.

 

Adrien grinned, “Thanks. I think I’ll wear it more often.”

 

Marinette nodded, “Good,” she squeaked out.

 

The rest of the walk was spent in silence. Their hands would brush every once in a while, but neither of them moved away. Eventually, Adrien moved even closer so that their hands were just constantly touching. He smiled to himself and blushed profusely when Marinette allowed it, not knowing that the girl was blushing just as much.

 

When they arrived, Adrien grabbed her hand to pull her toward the house. He let her hand go just as quickly as he had grabbed it, but the feeling still lingered for both of them.

 

“Wow,” Marinette breathed out and walked closer. The house, though not as large as Adrien’s mansion and not considered a mansion at all, was quite big. It was easily two stories, if not three, and had a balcony running around the whole house. Large windows opened up the bottom level of the house to natural light, though they were covered by dark curtains when Marinette noticed them. Flowers followed a path leading to the front door and created a frame around the house.

 

“It’s a pretty nice house,” Adrien came to stand next to Marinette, “As you can see, Mr. Bellerose was making a nice amount of money from his piano business.”

 

“I bet,” Marinette said in awe. Owning such a large house had always seemed so ridiculous to Marinette. She didn’t need so many rooms and open spaces. But as she stood in front of Mr. Bellerose’s house, she toyed with the idea of having something similar in the future. She was never one to wish for incredible luxuries, but the house had taken her breath away.

 

Adrien had left Marinette standing where she was and walked up the stairs to stand in front of the door. He knocked a few times on the door before standing back to wait. Marinette quickly joined him but stood a few feet behind him.

 

A woman came to the door just after Marinette joined Adrien. She wasn’t smiling, but she looked kind. Her eyes were soft and thoughtful. Her hair, which was brown, was braided behind her back with small pieces of hair escaping from the hold.

 

Her eyes widened at the sight of Adrien.

 

“Hello, Mrs. Bellerose,” though Marinette couldn’t see Adrien’s face, she knew he was smiling just by the tone of his voice.

 

“Adrien,” she said, and then allowed herself to smile back. A moment later, the two were hugging like mother and son, “It’s so good to see you,” she whispered lovingly, gently rocking them from side to side as they embraced.

 

Adrien chuckled as he pulled away, “It’s good to see you, too, Mrs. Bellerose.”

 

“Oh, please. You know you can call me Amelia.”

 

“Right, sorry. Amelia,” he grinned, “this is my friend Marinette,” Adrien gestured toward Marinette, who waved back shyly.

 

Amelia Bellerose nodded, “It’s lovely to meet you,” she said kindly before she turned back to the boy she was familiar with, “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

 

“I was wondering if Arthur was around. I would like to speak to him.”

 

The smile dropped from Amelia’s face and she sighed, “I don’t think he’s up for visitors.”

 

“Please,” Adrien put a hand on the threshold to signify that he wasn’t leaving until he was allowed in, “I need to.”

 

Amelia sighed again and nodded, “He’s in the garden. Do you still know your way around?”

 

Adrien nodded with a confident smile, “Of course. How could I forget my second home?”

 

Amelia smiled softly as she opened the door wider for Marinette and Adrien.

 

“Adrien?” a voice came from the balcony of the next floor. A girl about their age quickly walked down the stairs and flung herself at Adrien. Marinette stepped away but watched them hug.

 

The girl pulled away and grinned, “It’s been so long, A.”

 

She was a spitting image of her mother. Her hair was long and brown, loose curls settling behind her back. She was beautiful, and she held the same kindness in her eyes that Marinette had first noticed in Amelia.

 

“It sure has, C,” Adrien grinned back. He turned to Marinette, his smile turning soft as he noticed how shy his friend was being. He pulled her hand so that she’d come closer but continued holding it even after she stood right next to him.

 

“This is Marinette. She’s a friend of mine. Marinette, this is Clara. She’s my teacher’s daughter. We’ve known each other for eleven years now.”

 

Clara snorted and rolled her eyes, “May as well be ten years. It’s not like we’ve seen each other since my dad left your ass.

 

“It’s nice to meet you, Marinette,” she shook Marinette’s free hand and grinned as her eyes landed on their interwoven hands.

 

“What’s that smile for, Clara?” Adrien raised his eyebrows, challenging her to say something.

 

Clara giggled, “Nothing. Look, I know you’re just here to see my dad, but try not to be a stranger anymore, okay?”

 

“Sure thing, C. I’ll say goodbye before we leave.”

 

Clara nodded and smiled at Marinette again before bouncing back up the stairs.

 

“She seems nice,” Marinette said quietly, worried that Clara would overhear her confession. Her lips were in a tight smile, and it caused Adrien to smile smugly.

 

“Yeah, she sure is. A pain in my ass sometimes, but she’s been like a sister to me for the last seven years. Right after I got over my crush on her when I was ten.”

 

Marinette’s throat went dry, “You liked her?”

 

Adrien chuckled and bumped Marinette’s shoulder. He directed her toward the sliding glass door that led to the garden, still holding her hand.

 

He shrugged, “It was puppy love. Nothing serious, and I certainly don’t like her now. Like I said, she’s family.”

 

Marinette smiled to herself at that.

 

They both saw Arthur Bellerose at the same time. He was sitting on a bench, alone, surrounded by thousands of flowers. A path led to the bench, which Marinette and Adrien now walked on. They walked slowly and spoke softly. Arthur was still a ways away, but they didn’t want to surprise him by being too loud.

 

“The Belleroses were always big on their landscaping. That’s what I loved most about this place. Well, besides Mrs. Bellerose’s food,” Adrien smiled fondly at the memories that came rushing back to him. He spent two hours at the Bellerose’s house every weekday for ten years. They really had become a second family to him.

 

“If you’re so close to them…why did you stop visiting after Mr. Bellerose quit?” Marinette looked up at Adrien with a curious expression.

 

Adrien met her stare and shrugged, “My father wouldn’t let me see them. Mr. Bellerose defied my father, and my father doesn’t do well with being told no,” Adrien momentarily went back to that morning, but he pushed those thoughts away. He’d deal with that later.

 

Marinette frowned, but chose not to say anything. She was afraid she’d accidentally tell Adrien how much she hated his father, but part of her knew he wouldn’t mind. Still, she only squeezed Adrien’s hand in reply.

 

The two stopped a few yards from the bench. Adrien cleared his throat, but Arthur didn’t move.

 

“Mr. Bellerose?” Adrien tried again, this time earning a jump from the man in front of him. Arthur met Adrien’s stare, jumping to Marinette for only a moment before looking back to Adrien.

 

“Adrien?” Arthur blinked and stared for a moment before he decided that he was being rude. He scooted down the bench and pat the space next to him, “Come and sit.”

 

Adrien did as told, bringing Marinette with him.

 

“Sir, I’d like to talk about what my father—”

 

“No, no,” Arthur shook his head, “I do not want to talk about him.”

 

“But, Sir,” Adrien let go of Marinette’s hand and turned his body to face Arthur, “I have a solution—”

 

Mr. Bellerose snorted just as Clara had, but there was no humor in his expression, “There isn’t a solution, Adrien. Please. It is so good of you to visit. Let’s not ruin it with talk.”

 

Adrien looked like he wanted to say something else but instead he looked away in defeat.

 

Marinette looked angrily at the man. She knew how hard Adrien was trying and knew he at least deserved a chance at explaining, “I really think you should listen to Adrien,” her voice was firm and confident. It surprised both males. They snapped their heads in her direction and stared.

 

“Who are you, young lady?” Arthur asked. He wasn’t upset or angry, and his voice had actually gone softer. He was merely curious.

 

Adrien opened his mouth to introduce her, but Marinette spoke first, “My name is Marinette. I’m a friend of Adrien’s.”

 

“Ahh,” he smiled, sending a knowing look to Adrien as if their budding relationship was obvious, “I appreciate the effort that you and Adrien are making, but I can assure you that there is nothing to be done.”

 

“And I can assure you that if you would just listen to Adrien you’d realize how wrong you are,” Marinette stared hard at the man.

 

Arthur paused for a moment, staring back, before he smiled sadly. He turned his attention back to Adrien and nodded, “What is this big idea of yours?”

 

“Oh, um—” Adrien looked taken aback by the sudden change. He hurriedly took a flier from his messenger back and handed it to Arthur.

 

“I made these last night. They’re just templates, really, and I could print better ones, but I think they get across the idea.”

 

Arthur looked over the flier before sighing, “It’s nice, but fliers cannot fix my reputation. Your father—”

 

“I know what my father did,” Adrien swallowed back his anger, and tried to stay level-headed, “But just because you won’t get business from assholes like him anymore doesn’t mean you’re entirely out of business. You don’t have to start over completely. You have the experience, and I’m sure you’ve taught plenty of kids like me who still care enough about you to want to help. I could get someone to make you a new website, a really nice one, and we could get a bunch of your students to leave reviews. I know it’s cheap of me to use my name to get business, but it would help. You probably won’t get hired by anyone like my father, anyone with a lot of money, but you’ll still be able to work.

 

“I can’t just let you throw everything away, Mr. Bellerose. You’re such a wonderful piano teacher, and you’ve changed my life. If not for your kindness, for the kindness of your family, I don’t know…” Adrien swallowed back tears, “You just really inspire me, Mr. Bellerose. So much so that I’m actually teaching Marinette how to play,” at the mention of her name, Marinette smiled. Mr. Bellerose kindly returned the smile, but still said nothing.

 

“You inspire all of your students. Think of all the other students that are waiting to be taught. You’re still needed, and you’re absolutely still wanted,” Adrien sighed at the end of his spiel, realizing that he had been holding that all back for the last several hours.

 

Arthur looked down at the flier again and smiled a small smile. When he looked back up at Adrien and Marinette, who were both watching eagerly, he nodded.

 

Adrien grinned and shook the man’s hand excitedly, “Thank you, Sir.”

 

“No,” Arthur spoke quietly and shook his head, “Thank you, Adrien. For being so kind. For being so helpful. For being so _good_.”

 

Marinette’s heart swelled at the sight, and she continued smiling when Arthur reached over to shake her hand as well, “Any friend of Adrien’s must be just as beautiful on the inside as he is. Thank you for coming today, Marinette.”

 

Marinette grinned and nodded, “And thank you for indirectly teaching me how to play.”

 

Arthur grinned and stood from the bench, “Are you any good?”

 

Marinette’s eyes widened amusingly. She and Adrien stood as well, and the three of them walked back toward the house, “Not at all.”

 

Arthur chuckled, but Adrien just shook his head with a smile, “She’s getting there,” he said before taking her hand in his again. This time, the two of them let the other see their blushes.

 

When they reached the house, Arthur politely opened the sliding door for them and followed behind.

 

“Shall I make something for lunch? You guys hungry?”

 

Adrien smiled at Arthur, “Thank you, but Marinette and I actually have lunch plans already.”

 

Arthur smiled back and nodded, “Don’t let me keep you from your lunch date then,” he winked.

 

Marinette blushed again and Adrien grinned.

 

“I’ll call you tomorrow morning about setting up a website, okay? We’ll get your business back up and running before you know it,” Adrien said as the three of them walked toward the front door.

 

“I can’t wait,” Arthur said honestly. He set a hand on Adrien’s shoulder as they stopped in front of the door, “Thank you again, Son.”

 

Adrien smiled and nodded again, “Of course.”

 

“Arthur?” Amelia asked worriedly as she hurried in from the living room, “Is everything alright?”

 

Arthur grinned and took his wife’s hand, “Better than alright. Adrien has showed me what it means to be a teacher again, and I think I’m going to try starting over.”

 

Amelia’s face lit up with a grin, and she pulled Arthur into a hug, “That’s so great, Honey.”

 

Adrien smiled at the two before he turned to smile at Marinette.

 

“See you later, Clara!” He called out.

 

Right after, the four of them could hear the girl’s footsteps walking toward the balcony. Clara appeared with a grin and waved at them, “Bye, Adrien. Have fun with your girlyfriend,” she snickered at Adrien’s playful glare and walked away again.

 

“Yes, you two have fun,” Arthur smiled at them again and shooed them away, “Go eat.”

 

Marinette giggled as she and Adrien walked out of the house. Arthur and Amelia stood in the threshold, still holding hands, as Marinette and Adrien, who were also still holding hands, walked down the path and away from the house.

 

Even from down the street, they could hear the piano being played from the Bellerose’s home.


	8. Rêverie

Adrien was no stranger to the guilt that filled his mind late at night. Overthinking what ifs and dwelling on past mistakes became an unwanted pastime for him. The sky turned dark, but the intensity of his thoughts blinded him. 

He kept a mental list of the people he could possibly disappoint. The list was significant from the beginning, holding the weight of his father’s expectations. At any moment, he could be disappointing his father’s whole brand, unknowingly disappointing everyone that paid attention to fashion. The list grew for the first time when he entered public school. His teachers and new friends were all capable of finding flaws in Adrien. 

Adrien spent his life tip-toeing around people he cared about. The less they knew about what he felt, the smaller chance they could be disappointed in him. Nino would ask about his photo shoots, but Adrien only ever told him that they went well. He couldn’t tell his best friend that the photographer became frustrated with him halfway through because he was unable to find the right pose. He never told anyone that his father sighed loudly every time Adrien took too long changing into the next featured outfit. What if Nino agreed with the sentiments of his photographer and father? Telling him too much just opened the door for more disappointments. 

Settling into his role as Chat Noir expanded the list by a substantial amount. He became capable of disappointing his whole city and possibly the whole world. Adrien lost sleep more than once because he thought too deeply about letting innocent civilians die. 

At the top of the list, a single name was bolded, circled, and underlined. Adrien’s guilt usually left him long enough for a few hours of sleep, but being rejected by Ladybug always seemed to find its way into his dreams. He constantly worried about disappointing his partner and felt guilty for actions he never did and words he never said. They were all thoughts, just what ifs and overthought possibilities, but they felt so real to Adrien. He realized how much potential he had to be a disappointment and wanted to apologize for just being. 

It wasn’t until Adrien was seventeen that he was able to break away from the constant anxiety he felt from his father. He knew his father loved him, but he also knew that his father loved him despite a lot of things. Adrien’s friends, interests, and role as Chat Noir were never a part of his father’s perfectly calculated equation for success, but they were all things that would be a part of Adrien forever. When he realized that his father’s disappointment was inevitable rather than just a possibility, he was able to sleep a little better at night. Flyers for his mentor’s new piano business were up around town, he was no longer a model for his father’s brand, and he felt lighter. Knowing that he no longer fully cared about living up to his father’s image helped him breathe easier. 

Still, although Adrien was able to fall asleep much faster at night, his dreams of Ladybug haunted him. Her name was still bolded, circled, and underlined at the top of his list, except that it now held a new weight. Ladybug was Marinette, Adrien knew more than he should, and the door of possible disappointment was wide open. The guilt ate at him every time he saw her, both in and out of the ladybug suit, and the anxiety he felt grew with their relationship. 

Weeks after visiting the Belleroses, his anxiety hit a new peak. Seeing Marinette was his favorite thing and his most dreaded thing. Every time he made her laugh, or smile, or look at him in _that way_ , he felt like he was fooling her. She didn’t know how much he had wronged her. As Ladybug, she told Chat over and over again how much she didn’t want him to know her identity. And until recently, Adrien reluctantly followed her wishes. What would she say if she knew that Chat had known for weeks, and never told her? What would she do if she found out that one of her best friends was keeping the biggest secret he could possibly keep? 

“You okay Adrien?” The question hit him like an akuma attack. _No_ , he wanted to answer, _I’m not. And it’s because I’ve been lying to you for weeks._ Instead, he smiled and nodded.

The answer seemed to appease Marinette because she went back to sketching. It didn’t bother Adrien that he had come over just to watch Marinette work on new ideas for her clothes and that he was just sitting next to her desk and looking out the window. She would sigh quietly every once in a while, and her room was warm, and he could smell cookies being made in the bakery downstairs, and it was enough. It was more home than his own home. The guilt gnawed at his heart. 

Marinette spoke again, causing Adrien to jump away from his thoughts. He looked up at her and smiled at her worried expression, “Sorry. What did you say?”

She watched him for a moment longer but couldn’t find anything weird in his smile, “I asked how Mr. Bellerose’s business was coming along. Are the flyers and website helping?”

Adrien nodded, “It’s going really well. He has five new clients right now and two more possible clients meeting him this week. Plus, a few of his older clients have contacted him to see if he’d be interested in working for them again. He says he’s busy all the time now,” Adrien smiled fondly out the window. The sounds of the city soothed him. The car horns, the laughing people, the rain hitting the pavement. Adrien could watch the clouds fly by for hours, getting lost in the feeling of being so small. The bigness of the world always made Adrien’s worries feel insignificant enough to forget. But, still, he had a hard time letting them go. 

He could hear Marinette sliding her chair over to sit next to him. Knowing that she was suddenly closer made him feel big again, important, and brought back all of the anxiety that he had almost forgotten. He couldn’t stop himself from thinking again, _She wouldn’t want to sit this close to me if she knew what I’ve done._

Adrien glanced at Marinette and found that she wasn’t paying attention to him. Her eyes were out the window, searching the sky for the same thing that Adrien had already found. Some sort of peace, and a much-needed forgetfulness. He could realize anxiety from a mile away.

“You okay?” he asked her, quieter than she had asked him before. 

“I love it when it rains. Something about the world changes. Everything becomes softer,” she didn’t look at Adrien as she spoke, but something in her eyes changed and she stopped searching the sky.

Adrien looked away and allowed it to be quiet between them. Something heavy was resting in the air around them, but Adrien couldn’t identify it. It was usually just his own guilt, but this was something mutual. He knew Marinette could feel it too. 

In an attempt to thin the air, Adrien lightly pushed Marinette’s shoulder with his own and smiled at her, “I didn’t know you were so poetic.” 

Marinette rolled her eyes, but she smiled back at him. She tugged at the sleeve of his navy blue sweater, “Shush, Adrien, or I’ll tell Papa not to give you any of the cookies he’s making.”

Marinette giggled as Adrien’s eyes widened and he mimicked locking his mouth with a key. With a shake of her head, she stood and tugged him up with her, “Let’s go get those cookies, then.”

“You’re done sketching?” He let himself be dragged down the stairs, trying not to think too much about Marinette’s hand wrapped around his wrist. He could so easily slide his hand up to meet hers. But, as always, the guilt reminded him why he shouldn’t. 

Marinette shrugged, “For now.”

“Cookies are more important than your future?” 

Marinette snorted, looking back to see his smirk, “My future?”

“Yeah,” Adrien pulled his wrist from Marinette’s hand but continued to follow her down to the bakery, “When you’re a super important fashion designer who is praised in every magazine and celebrated by the world.” 

Marinette let out a loud, mocking laugh, “Only if you’ll be the face of my brand.” 

Adrien grinned. The idea of being the face of any brand ever again made his stomach twist. To be a slave of someone else like he was for his father, it was something he knew he could never bring himself to do again. But he knew it would never be like that with Marinette. 

He came to stand next to Marinette at the bottom of the stairs, “How about we make it a partnership? You and me, taking the fashion world by storm.”

Marinette put a pinky out for Adrien to wrap around with his own, “Deal,” she said, and Adrien knew it was. 

“I knew once I started making cookies that you two would be down soon,” Tom Dupain greeted the two at the kitchen door, a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead. Mr. Dupain looked tired, as if he’d been up for hours, but he was still grinning and radiated cheer. Adrien realized this was what passion looked like, “They’re cooling on the counter. Don’t eat them all!”

He moved out of the way so Adrien and Marinette could walk through, pleasantly saying their thanks as they passed. They spotted the cookies, all 96 of them, cooling on racks on the counter. 

“There isn’t enough,” Marinette said with a jokingly exasperated tone. 

Adrien scoffed, “Maybe not for both of us. You can just go back up to your room; I’ll meet you up there when I’m done devouring these cookies.”

“No way!” Marinette glared up at him, “You have to share.”

Adrien sighed and walked toward the cookies, “I can part with one or two, but that’s it.” 

Marinette was already piling cookies onto a napkin, “Ha ha,” she wrapped at least ten cookies in the napkin and grabbed at Adrien’s sweater before he could take one himself. 

“Hey!” He was pulled toward the door again by Marinette, a smug smile on her face.

“ _I_ can share.”

“We each get half?” Adrien asked from behind her. Marinette stopped abruptly and turned around to face him. With her pinky out and a smile on her face, she nodded.

“We each get half.”

Adrien grinned, taking her pinky with his, “Deal.”

It was ironic how the source of his guilt did so well at making him forget the guilt. He could eat cookies with Marinette up in her room forever. He could listen to the rain, spout stupid jokes to make her laugh, and playfully push her when she glared at him. He could be this person, the person Marinette saw, forever. But he knew that he wouldn’t be that person anymore once he was alone in his room when the rain would take on a new meaning. 

Adrien left at seven without having to be told to. He knew he’d see her again in an hour, dressed up in her best Ladybug suit. He walked home because he had told his dad that drivers were ridiculous and unneeded for a boy his age. Really, though, it just gave him another excuse to transform. 

After walking down the nearest alleyway, Adrien paused and let the darkness settle around him for a moment. 

“Plagg?” Adrien’s voice was hard and quiet. The kwami flew out of the messenger bag without a word and stared back at his friend. 

“Transform me,” Adrien said, just above a whisper and more emotional than he had meant it to sound. It was clear that he wanted to be something more than just Chat Noir. Maybe a new person, someone he could feel good about being without a mask, but he had to settle. 

Plagg could only do one thing to help, and a second later Adrien was dressed all in black. Chat jumped onto one of the buildings he had been standing next to and looked around. The rain had stopped, but it had left a certain atmosphere behind. 

“Chat?”

Chat Noir quickly put up his staff in defense and stared into the dark. His eyes found his Lady, watching him from the next building over. 

“Ladybug?” He dropped his stance and jumped over to her, “What are you doing out? We’re not supposed to meet for another hour.”

Ladybug raised her eyebrows, “I could ask you the same thing, Chat.”

Chat grinned at her, stepping closer, “I asked you first.”

Ladybug blew on her bangs and glared, but Chat could see that she was embarrassed, “I was just…going to visit a friend. That’s all,” she glanced behind Chat, and Chat followed her gaze. Just ahead of them was his home, the Agreste mansion. 

He smirked to himself before turning back to her, “Adrien Agreste?”

Her eyes widened at his correct guess, “Uh…do you know him?”

Chat shrugged and pointed at a billboard. Adrien was dressed in a similar sweater to the one he had been wearing earlier, smirking at the viewer in an attempt to communicate his so-called success and celebrity status, “I think everyone does,” he said, trying to hide the malice from his voice. 

“Right,” Ladybug cleared her throat, “Well, I should be going then. I guess. To see him.”

“Right,” Chat grinned. But just as Ladybug was about to walk passed him, he grabbed her wrist. His smile had dropped, and he swallowed hard, “Wait.”

Ladybug blinked back at him in surprise. He waited for her to glare at him in annoyance or push past him with anger, but she never did. She just stared back thoughtfully, waiting for him to explain himself. 

It was in this moment that Adrien could see himself spilling everything to her. He would tell her who he was. He would apologize over and over again and hope that she would see his side of things. He would hug her as Chat, but really as Adrien, and tell her how much he wanted her. All of her. 

Instead, he breathed in a shaky breath and said what he shouldn’t have, “Tell piano boy I said hi.”

Ladybug’s eyes widened again, but Chat didn’t stick around to see if she’d say anything. He jumped away, onto a building that was opposite to the direction of his house, and continued his path without looking back. He didn’t know where he was going, but he knew he couldn’t follow her to his house. 

He ended up at their meeting spot. It was darker than ever, but Adrien was used to the darkness. He decided he’d wait. Ladybug would see that Adrien wasn’t in his room, and hang around until eight. Then, she’d come to the meeting spot and maybe, if he could face her again, he might be able to explain himself. Adrien breathed in a less shaky breath and tried to clear his mind. 

It wasn’t ten minutes later that he heard Ladybug land behind him. 

“How did you know?” her voice was accusatory, as if she was expecting him to turn around and confess to knowing her identity and seeing her with Adrien as her civilian form. And if Chat could, he would do just that. 

Instead, and without turning around, Chat shrugged, “I guess it just makes sense. You’re going to see some boy in the middle of the night after telling me that you made a new friend who can play the piano. And we all know the _incredibly talented_ Adrien Agreste can play piano,” Chat rolled his eyes at his own reputation, not stopping to think about how his words would be taken by Ladybug.

“He _is_ talented, Chat. And just because you’re _jealous_ —” 

Chat snorted, “Trust me, I’m not jealous of Adrien.” 

It was silent behind him, and Chat was able to replay his responses in his head and realize what he was really saying to Ladybug. He turned around quickly and found her gaping at him. Pain turned into anger, and before he could do anything, he was watching Ladybug grab her yoyo and fly away. He watched for a moment as she continued down the path of their usual patrol before he followed, jumping along buildings next to her and busying himself by half-heartedly looking for crime. 

Halfway into the patrol, he tried to end the silence, “I didn’t mean it like that, LB,” he called to her, having to slightly shout in order to be heard over the sound of wind flying past their moving bodies. 

Ladybug stopped on a building and waited for him to join her. She glared at him, her hands clenched into fists by her side, “ _Trust me_ ,” she mimicked, “I don’t care what you meant, Chat.”

“Ladybug,” he reached out to grab one of her hands, but she moved away before he could.

“We’re done with the patrol tonight,” her voice was softer now, showing the hurt he had caused her, and he winced. 

Chat wanted to say so many things but settled on saying nothing. Ladybug even waited a moment longer to see if he’d try to fix the mess he had caused, hoping that he’d say something to make the unknown feeling in her chest go away, but he didn’t. So she sighed and left him standing alone again. 

It was still very, very dark. 

He arrived back to his room and found that a text was waiting for him. He considered not even checking it because it was from Marinette, and she didn’t know who she was really texting, and the guilt was eating him alive. 

But he checked it anyway and gave the guilt something else to throw at him. _If she knew who you really were, she would never text you again._

The text read: **I know we only saw each other a few hours ago, but could you call me when you get this? If it’s not too late?**

The day was getting close to ten o’clock, not late at all to two seventeen-year-olds, but Adrien couldn’t allow himself to call her. He leaned back in his desk chair and put his hands behind his head. Plagg sat on the desk and ate his cheese, trying to do so quietly. 

“Just call her,” Plagg said it as if the answer were clear and simple. 

Adrien sneered, “She wouldn’t want me to call her if she knew who I was.”

“Uh…” Plagg finished his bite, “I’m pretty sure knowing you’re Chat Noir would make her want you to call her more. But I mean, what do I know,” he rolled his eyes and zoomed out of sight. 

Adrien allowed himself to wonder about Plagg being right for only a second before he convinced himself again that Marinette wouldn’t want to hear from Chat. 

The more he thought about it, the more everything troubled him. He was supposed to feel free and untouched as Chat, but now it was just another form of stress for him. Not only did he feel horrible for lying to Marinette as Adrien, but he now felt horrible for hurting Ladybug as Chat. He just wanted to feel good in some form. 

Adrien stood from his desk and threw himself onto his bed, “Well, Plagg, I think I fucked up royally this time.”

In a second, Plagg was floating above him, “Wow. You cussed. You must mean business,” Plagg rolled his eyes again, and the corners of Adrien’s mouth twitched up a bit. 

They sat in silence for a long moment before Plagg moved to sit on Adrien’s shoulder, “She probably needs someone to talk to. Like you do when you get all,” he waved his hand around, “weird.” 

“But I caused that weirdness, Plagg. She doesn’t want to hear from me,” Adrien sighed.

“Whatever,” Plagg flew up from Adrien’s shoulder.

“Plagg?” Adrien watched his kwami.

Quickly, before Adrien could even realize what happened, Plagg bumped his head with Adrien’s forehead lovingly before racing back to his sleeping place on Adrien’s desk. 

“Thanks, Plagg,” Adrien said quietly. He left his bed to turn off the light but immediately fell back onto it without changing out of his clothes.

Adrien closed his eyes with the full intention of keeping them closed, but the ringing of his phone forced them open again. He reached for his phone and stared at the ID picture of Marinette he had taken at her house. She had been glaring at him, but he could see the beginnings of a smile. Her hair was up in a messy bun, a hairstyle that she only wore at home, and she was leaning back in her desk chair. Behind her, Adrien could see her sketchbook wide open and drawing pencils everywhere. Marinette had asked him why he liked this picture so much, but Adrien wasn’t able to explain it. Looking at it now, he knew why. The picture was so _her_ and it showed everything he loved about her. 

“Well?” He heard Plagg say from the desk. 

“Oh,” Adrien forced himself out of his thoughts. He accepted the call and brought it to his ear, “Hey,” he tried not to sound breathless. 

“Hey. I wasn’t sure if you’d answer,” Marinette was quiet from the other line. She sniffled after she spoke, and Adrien wanted to fling himself out the window. 

“Yeah, sorry, I was just about to fall asleep.”

“Oh!” her voice was louder, “Of course. I’m sorry, I’ll let you go.” 

“No, no, I can talk,” Adrien covered his eyes with his arm but kept the phone to his ear. Her voice appeased the guilt for a moment, but he knew it would be back. He shouldn’t have been talking to her, not when he had caused her pain, but he couldn’t let her go. 

“Okay,” she was quiet again, “I guess I just…” she sighed, “I don’t know. Felt like talking.”

“I get like that, too, sometimes,” Adrien’s voice was just as quiet.

“Really?”

“Yeah. All the time, actually.”

“But you never call me,” Marinette’s voice was becoming concerned. 

“No, but I see you every day. And it helps,” Adrien stood from his bed and walked out of his bedroom door. He was quiet, though he knew he didn’t have to be. His father was in Rome to meet other Very Important People and discuss Very Important Things. 

“Promise?” 

“Pinky promise,” he let himself smile in the darkness. 

For any other reason, Adrien would have asked Marinette why she was upset. But he didn’t know if he could take listening to her talk about Chat, so he didn’t say anything else. He continued to walk down hallways with only the light from windows illuminating his path. He was so used to this house, though, that he didn’t even need the windows. He could find the piano room in the darkest darkness. 

“What are you doing?” she asked after a moment of comfortable silence. He could picture her lying in bed, one arm resting on the pillow behind her head and the other holding the phone to her ear. 

Adrien walked into the piano room and turned on the light. He blinked a few times to adjust before he made his way to the piano bench, “I thought I could play something for you. Maybe it will help you sleep.” 

“Adrien?” Marinette was quiet again. 

Adrien paused at the bench, “Yeah?” he held his breath.

“I would love that,” she sniffled again, but he could tell she was smiling. 

Adrien sat down on the bench and put his phone on speaker. He set the phone down next to him and played a single note, “Can you hear that?” He looked down at the phone.

“Mmhmm,” Marinette said back. Adrien now pictured her snuggled under her blankets, the phone on speaker next to her in the dark. Her eyes were probably closed, waiting for him to lull her to sleep. 

He sighed to himself, quiet enough so that she couldn’t hear, and he began to play. He forgot she was on the line as he played, only focusing on the keys and getting it right. He let himself fly away from his life for a moment; to daydream about what ifs that didn’t cause him heartaches. They all included Marinette, and they all included her smile. 

By the end of the song, he could only hear Marinette’s gentle breathing from the other line. Adrien smiled down at the piano keys and sighed again, still too quiet for anyone but himself to hear. 

“Marinette?” He whispered, waiting a moment after to see if she’d reply. But no, she was asleep, and he was talking to no one. 

Adrien swallowed hard and closed his eyes, “Marinette,” he whispered again, now knowing that she wouldn’t be able to remember what he said next “Forgive me. For everything. Please,” the last word came out shakily, and his eyes threatened him with tears, but nothing came. 

He hung up the phone, sent Marinette a quick goodnight text, and stood from the piano bench. With the light turned off, he was in darkness once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all of the nice comments. I'm so incredibly overjoyed that people like this story, and I hope I can continue to write chapters that make you all happy. I'm sorry for taking so long to write this chapter, and I promise I'll do my best to get the next one out sooner! Thank you again xx

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading :) xx
> 
> My tumblr is star-galaxy for anyone who would like to contact me there! <3


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